Bellanca BL17-30 N4894V

Summary

On 25 October 2004 at about 22:30 local time, a Bellanca BL17-30 registered N4894V was involved in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 October 2004 at 22:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Henderson Executive Airport (HND)

Coordinates

35.9728, -115.1344

Aircraft

Bellanca BL17-30

Registration

N4894V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

El Cajon → Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05CA016

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's inadequate fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation and a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane experienced a loss of engine power and collided with the airport perimeter fence while landing. The pilot stated that as he approached the vicinity of the airport, he confirmed that the fuel selector was on the left tank. He verified that the cockpit fuel quantity gauge showed about 3/8 of fuel remaining in the left main tank, which he equated to be about 10 gallons. He opted to make a right traffic pattern with the intention to land on runway17R, and kept the fuel selector on the left main tank. While executing a turn onto base leg, about 1/8 mile from the airport, the pilot attempted to add power and the engine lost power. Upon touchdown, the airplane collided with the airport's perimeter fence, damaging the right wing. After egressing the airplane the pilot examined the airplane's fuel tanks. His examination revealed that both the left main and auxiliary fuel tank were empty, with the right main tank having about 18 gallons of fuel remaining. He reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. He opined that if the airplane was at a sufficient altitude he would have been able to switch to the right tank and successfully restart the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.