Bellanca 14-19-3 N1257R

Summary

On 10 August 2021 at about 15:40 local time, a Bellanca 14-19-3 registered N1257R was involved in an accident near Whitefish, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 August 2021 at 15:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Whitefish, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Whitefish (58S)

Coordinates

48.4080, -114.2996

Aircraft

Bellanca 14-19-3

Registration

N1257R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR21LA315

Nobody was injured.

A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to accomplish a preflight inspection.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, at the request of the airplane owner, he was going to reposition the airplane to another airport for an annual inspection. As a precaution, the pilot wanted to fly around the airport traffic pattern to refamiliarize himself with the airplane. The pilot reported that when he arrived at the hangar, the owner stated that the airplane was “ready to go” and that 25 gallons of fuel had been added to the right fuel tank. They departed for a flight around the pattern and were on the crosswind leg when the engine lost power; he adjusted the throttle, mixture, and engaged the boost pump, and the engine started. They continued with the landing sequence, and on the base leg, the engine lost power again. The pilot did not believe the airplane was going to make the runway and elected to land straight ahead in a grassy field. During the landing roll out, the airplane impacted a dirt berm and slid sideways before it came to rest upright. After they exited the airplane, the pilot checked the right fuel tank and noted it was empty. The airplane was inspected at the accident site by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, and it was determined that the right fuel tank was empty, and the left fuel tank was nearly full. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.