- Date
- June 30, 1993, 17:50 local (23:50 UTC)
- Place
- Jackson Hole, WY
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N127WZBellanca 17-31ATC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 17, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930630046819A
- Case key
- 41725
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of an empty fuel tank, and fuel starvation. Factors include rough/uneven terrain.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While on approach to the airport, the pilot selected an empty fuel tank without realizing it was empty. Fuel starvation followed, and when the engine quit, the pilot was unable to get it restarted in time to avoid making a forced landing in rough/uneven terrain. During the landing roll, the gear collapsed.
Factual narrative
On June 30, 1993, at approximately 1750 mountain daylight time (MDT), a Bellanca 17 31ATC, N127WZ, experienced a gear collapse during a forced landing about four miles short of the runway at Jackson Hole Airport, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The FAA certificated private pilot and one of his passengers were not injured, but the other passenger received minor injuries, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which departed Bellingham International Airport, Bellingham, Washington at about 1400 Pacific daylight time (PDT), was operating in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. The aircraft was not on a filed flight plan, and there was no report of an ELT activation.
The pilot stated that while on approach to the airport, he had selected an empty fuel tank without realizing it was empty. The engine then lost power, and he was unable to get it restarted in time to avoid a forced landing on rough/uneven terrain. During the landing roll, the gear collapsed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N127WZ
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-31ATC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31021
- Airframe hours
- 2,013
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1E5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Williams, William Z.
- Registered owner
- Williams, William Z.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 14, 1993 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- BLI · Bellingham, WA
- Airport
- JAC · Jackson Hole Airport, runway 18, 6,299 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 65
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,535 total · 1,260 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.