Bellanca 14-19-3 accident near Grand Junction, CO
On July 30, 2005, a Bellanca 14-19-3 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grand Junction, CO. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 30, 2005
- Place
- Grand Junction, CO
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 14-19-3 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.109°N, 108.531°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050801X01122
NTSB summary
On July 30, 2005, at 1224 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 14-19-3, N8870R, was substantially damaged when on departure the airplane lost engine power and impacted terrain 2 miles west of the Walker Field Airport (GJT), Grand Junction, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The local personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The commercial pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight originated at GJT approximately 1030. The pilot contacted the Air Traffic Control tower at 1201:02, and subsequently was cleared for a touch-and-go landings. Over the next 23 minutes, the pilot performed four traffic patterns and touch-and-go landings. The pilot had just finished the fourth touch-and-go on runway 29 (10,501 feet by 150 feet, dry, asphalt) and was on the departure leg when he reported that the airplane's engine had lost power. According to a tower controller, he heard the pilot say that he "had lost the engine." The controller saw the airplane descend off the end of the runway from approximately 150 feet above the ground. The controller observed the airplane touch down briefly, rise back into the air, then descend again, disappearing behind a ridge. Rescue workers that arrived on scene immediately after the accident observed a small amount of fuel leaking from the airplane. They also noted that one propeller blade was bent aft while the other blade sustained no damage. At 1233, the Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at GJT reported the weather
Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the improper fuel selector position. Factors contributing to the accident were the inadvertent stall, the ravine, and the steep drop off embankment.
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Browse: Colorado · 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.
