Bellanca BL-17-30A N28049

Summary

On 25 November 1995 at about 23:19 local time, a Bellanca BL-17-30A registered N28049 was involved in an accident near Kings Bay, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 November 1995 at 23:19

Classification

Accident

Location

Kings Bay, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Jacksonville Intl (JAX)

Coordinates

30.7892, -81.5592

Aircraft

Bellanca BL-17-30A

Registration

N28049

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manville → Jacksonville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

MIA96LA029

2 people died.

a loss of control due to pilot spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was: the dark night condition and the pilot's improper decision to turn to an easterly heading with no ground reference lights available.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About 1745, while over Hilton Head airport en route to the pilot's planned fuel stop, the passenger/pilot's wife, using a cellular phone, reported to a friend that her husband couldn't descend below the clouds. At 1817, the pilot advised Jacksonville tower that the flight was about 22 miles northeast inbound for landing. One minute later he contacted Jacksonville approach and advised that he would '...get a little bit oriented first,...10 miles east-northeast inbound landing, circle around out here and get a heading or give me vector.' The airplane was assigned a discreet transponder code and the pilot was given the altimeter setting, wind information, and the active runway information. There was no further radio contact with the pilot. Radar data indicates that the airplane began a left descending turn to the east with the ground speed increasing. The airplane impacted the water during a descending left turn and the engine was heard to be operating normally. Examination of the recovered wreckage revealed evidence consistent with a high speed impact with the water.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.