Bellanca 14-19-3 N8870R

Summary

On 30 July 2005 at about 18:24 local time, a Bellanca 14-19-3 registered N8870R was involved in an accident near Grand Junction, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 July 2005 at 18:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Grand Junction, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Grand Junction Walker Field (GJT)

Coordinates

39.1095, -108.5305

Aircraft

Bellanca 14-19-3

Registration

N8870R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Junction → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN05LA117

1 person died.

A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the improper fuel selector position. Factors contributing to the accident were the inadvertent stall, the ravine, and the steep drop off embankment.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot contacted the Air Traffic Control tower at 1201:02, and subsequently was cleared for touch-and-go landings. Over the next 23 minutes, the pilot performed 4 traffic patterns and touch-and-go landings. The pilot had just finished the fourth touch-and-go and was on the departure leg when he reported that the airplane's engine had lost power. A tower controller saw the airplane descend off the end of the runway from approximately 150 feet above the ground. The controller saw the airplane touchdown briefly, rise back into the air, then descend again, disappearing behind a ridge. An examination of the airplane showed the right wing fuel tank intact and void of fuel. The left wing fuel tank was broken open and showed evidence of fuel. An examination of the airplane's engine showed trace evidence of fuel in the distribution manifold. The fuel selector was removed and examined. The selector valve was positioned to the right fuel tank feed position. No other systems anomalies were found with the airplane that could have contributed to the accident. Fuel records showed the airplane was serviced with 29.1 gallons of "AVGAS" on May 29, 2005.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.