Bellanca 17-30 VIKING N838MM
1 July 1996 · Alexandria, Minnesota, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 1 July 1996 at about 15:00 local time, a Bellanca 17-30 VIKING registered N838MM was involved in an accident near Alexandria, Minnesota, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Alexandria, Minnesota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Chandler Field (AEL)
- Coordinates
- 45.8704, -95.3691
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30 VIKING
- Registration
- N838MM
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI96LA226
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the flight instructor's failure to assure a proper fuel tank selector position. Factors associated with the accident were improper preflight preparation and complacency by the flight instructor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane's owner hired the flight instructor to give him instruction so he could qualify as pilot-in-command. After about 1 hour of flight an owner-devised fuel tank change alarm sounded. The instructor said he thought the owner had switched the fuel tanks. The instructor was flying the airplane as it entered a base leg for landing when the engine stopped. The instructor selected another fuel tank and the engine would not start. The airplane landed gear up near the runway. The on-scene investigation revealed empty main fuel tanks. The flight had started with an empty left and full right main tank. The fuel tank selector was on the left main tank. The auxiliary fuel tanks were full. The instructor said he gave the owner 6 to 10 minutes of ground instruction regarding flight maneuvers to be performed. He said he did not observe the owner's preflight inspection.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bellanca 17 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Oct 1996 | Bellanca 17-30A | Jackpot, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jan 1996 | Bellanca 17-30A | Belen, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 May 1996 | Bellanca 17-30A | Fallbrook, California, United States | Frank B. Harriman | No injuries | - |
| 26 Oct 1996 | Bellanca 17-31ATC | Lubbock, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Dec 1996 | Bellanca 17-30A | Ruidoso, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Dec 1996 | Bellanca 17-30 | Hayes Center, Nebraska, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Aug 1996 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Medford, Minnesota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Aug 1996 | Cessna 188 | Walnut Grove, Minnesota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Sep 1996 | Cessna 172F | Saint Clair, Minnesota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Aug 1996 | Taylorcraft 19 | Shakopee, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Aug 1996 | Cessna 180 | Duxbury, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 1996 | Cessna A188B | Aitkin, Minnesota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |