Bellanca 17-30A N8213R

Summary

On 15 January 2026 at about 16:45 local time, a Bellanca 17-30A registered N8213R was involved in an accident near Burnet, Texas, United States. 2 people were 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

15 January 2026 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Burnet, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Burnet Municipal Airport/Kate (BMQ)

Coordinates

30.7389, -98.2386

Aircraft

Bellanca 17-30A

Registration

N8213R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

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

CEN26LA091

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper judgement to relinquish his pilot responsibilities to the passenger with the engine operating, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and impact with a parked vehicle.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

In preparation for the personal flight, the pilot started the airplane to warm the engine. He then set the airplane’s parking brake and exited the airplane to load baggage while the engine was operating at idle. He asked the passenger, who was not a pilot, to board the airplane while the baggage was being loaded and to pull the mixture control if anything should happen. The pilot then went into the fixed base operator to get his debit card and to use the bathroom. Within two minutes, he heard the engine sound increase, and the airplane taxi into an unoccupied vehicle that was parked about 75 yards away. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the outboard section of right wing. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by never placing an unattended non-pilot passenger in parked operating airplane and would be scheduling remedial pilot training with a flight instructor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.