Bellanca 17-30A N4097B

Summary

On 3 December 1983 at about 00:36 local time, a Bellanca 17-30A registered N4097B was involved in an accident near Hebbronville, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

3 December 1983 at 00:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Hebbronville, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Jim Hogg County (03XS)

Coordinates

27.3099, -98.6791

Aircraft

Bellanca 17-30A

Registration

N4097B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plainview → Hebbronville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

FTW84FA083

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE FLT PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT UNTIL THE PLT CONTACTED HOUSTON ARTCC. THE PLT REQUESTED THE DESTINATION WX & WAS TOLD THAT THE ENTIRE AREA WAS IFR. THE CLOSEST ARPT REPORTING VFR CONDITIONS WAS AT MCALLEN, TX, APRX 80 MI SOUTHEAST. THE PLT THEN ADVISED THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO REACH MCALLEN. AT 1828 CST, HE ADVISED THAT THE DESTINATION ARPT WAS SIGHTED BELOW. THE CONTROLLER ACKNOWLEDGED & CLEARED THE PLT TO CHANGE FREQUENCY FOR LANDING. ABOUT 7 MIN LATER, THE ACFT CRASHED IN OPEN MESQUITE RANGE WHILE IN A SLIGHT NOSE DOWN, SLIGHT LEFT BANK ATTITUDE, AT HI SPEED. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT AFTER THE PLT'S LAST RADIO TRANSMISSION, THE ACFT OVERFLEW THE ARPT, TURNED LEFT & PROCEEDED NORTH, AWAY FROM THE ARPT, ABOUT 5 MI NORTH, IT MADE A 360 TURN, THEN CONTINUED 2 TO 3 MI FURTHER NORTH. A 180DEG TURN WAS THEN MADE & RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. DURING THAT TIME, THE ALT VARIED CONSIDERABLY. A RANCH FOREMAN HEARD THE ACFT FLYING AROUND BEFORE IT CRASHED. HE REPORTED AN OVERCAST WITH FOG & VISIBILITY LESS THAN 1/8 MI.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.