Bellanca 17-30 N4905V

Summary

On 23 August 2000 at about 03:47 local time, a Bellanca 17-30 registered N4905V was involved in an accident near Scottsdale, Arizona, 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

23 August 2000 at 03:47

Classification

Accident

Location

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Stellar Airpark (P19)

Coordinates

33.6428, -111.8175

Aircraft

Bellanca 17-30

Registration

N4905V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hall's Crossing → Chandler

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX00FA324

2 people died.

the pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance during a cruise descent, which resulted in controlled flight into mountainous terrain during dark night conditions. Contributing factors were the rain, thuderstorm, and dust storm weather conditions, which likely reduced visibility in the area at the time of the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted the side of a mountain, 200 feet below its crest, while in a cruise descent after encountering adverse weather conditions at night. The airline transport pilot did not obtain a weather briefing prior to departing for the cross-country flight, nor was there any evidence that he obtained in-flight weather information while en route. Radar data depicted the airplane southbound on a direct heading toward Stellar Airpark. The radar data depicted the airplane descending from 7,000 feet to 3,000 feet msl. The radar track depicted the airplane turning toward the east at a point north of the Scottsdale airport, continuing in the turn until it disappeared from the scope at the same coordinates that corresponded to the crash site. The last radar reported altitude, heading, and groundspeed were 3,000 feet, 140 degrees, and 156 knots, respectively. The coordinates of the last radar return corresponded to the crash site. The wreckage was located within a 100-foot radius of the initial impact point. The airspeed indicator was found at the site with the needle impinged at the 160-knot point on the instrument face. A meteorological study revealed that severe weather, which included dust storms and convective activity, was prevalent in the area at the time of the accident. The severe weather was a result of the area's seasonal monsoon. Dark night lighting conditions also prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot's partner in the accident airplane stated that it was common for the pilot to stay below the floor of class B airspace (4,000 feet msl) while transitioning through the area en route to Stellar Airpark. He told investigators that it is frequently difficult for visual flight rules (VFR) traffic to get a clearance from controllers because of their high workload.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.