Bellanca 17-30 accident near Independence, KS
On December 8, 1997, a Bellanca 17-30 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Independence, KS. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 8, 1997
- Place
- Independence, KS
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.229°N, 95.710°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X09274
NTSB summary
On December 8, 1997, at 1530 central standard time, a Bellanca 17-30, N4854V, was destroyed on impact with a guy wire and the terrain about 5 miles northwest of Independence, Kansas. The airplane's right wing struck a guy wire of a 414-foot tower about 375 above the ground. A resident of the area, who heard the airplane, but could not see it, said that he estimated the ceiling at the time to be about 200 to 300 feet above ground level. The non-instrument rated private pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91 flight was operating in instrument meteorological conditions. No flight plan was on file. The airplane departed Colonel James Jabara Airport near Wichita, Kansas, about 1430 with the stated destination of Harrison, Arkansas. At 1321 an individual identifying himself as the pilot of N4854V, called the Federal Aviation Administration, Wichita (KS), Automated Flight Service Station, requesting weather between Wichita, Kansas, and Harrison, Arkansas. He said that he intended to depart Jabara Airport in about an hour. The briefer read the current and forecast weather for the proposed route which consisted of instrument meteorological conditions along the route of flight which existed at that time and was forecast to continue through the next day. A copy of the transcript of the complete conversation between the briefer and the pilot is attached to this report. At 1535 a resident who lived near the accident site called the Montgomery County (KS) Sheriff's Department and reported hearing what he believed to be a "... plane with its motor running and
Probable cause
the pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather. Contributing factors were low ceilings, fog, and the guy wire.
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Browse: Kansas · Bellanca aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
