Bellanca 17-30A N8259R

Summary

On 5 April 2014 at about 22:30 local time, a Bellanca 17-30A registered N8259R was involved in an accident near Albany, Ohio, 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

5 April 2014 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Albany, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Ohio University Snyder Field (UNI)

Coordinates

39.2125, -82.2431

Aircraft

Bellanca 17-30A

Registration

N8259R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bristol/Johnson/Kingsport → Albany

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14FA185

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of airplane control during the approach to landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was using flight following services from air traffic control during the return leg of the cross-country flight, and, about 12 miles from the destination, the pilot reported to the approach controller that he had the airport in sight. Two witnesses reported seeing the airplane traveling toward the airport and then "nose dive" to a nearby quarry's property. One of the witnesses indicated that the back of the airplane hit a tree and that the airplane subsequently impacted the ground. The other witness said that the airplane engine was making a "buzzing" noise after the airplane crashed but that he did not hear anything before the crash. The main airplane wreckage came to rest inverted near a tree line about 2,300 feet northwest of the runway's displaced threshold. Trees in the tree line exhibited broken and cut branches along about a 300-foot-long path, and the airplane was found fragmented and signs of a ground fire were observed along the path. The crankshaft propeller flange had separated from the crankshaft. A family member who flew with the pilot during an earlier leg of the cross-country flight reported that the airplane's engine seemed harder to start than usual and that, during cruise, a distinct engine vibration occurred when the fuel mixture was leaned. However, examinations revealed no preimpact airframe or engine anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Further, during an engine test run conducted after engine items that had sustained impact damage were replaced and a centering pilot shaft and the propeller flange were welded to the engine's crankshaft separation point, the engine ran normally, and no preimpact engine anomalies were detected. On the basis of the evidence, it is likely that the pilot lost control of the airplane during the approach to landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.