Bellanca 17-30A accident near Eagleville, Tennessee, March 4, 2005
On March 4, 2005 at about 3:00 am local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N4024B, was destroyed in an accident near Eagleville, Tennessee (Bomar Field - Shelbyville Muni). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel supply by his failure to switch the fuel selector position , which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2005 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Eagleville, Tennessee · Bomar Field - Shelbyville Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N4024B · no longer on the register · serial 75-30750
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was cruising at 3,000 feet approximately 15 nautical miles north of Bomar Field - Shelbyville Municipal Airport, Shelbyville, Tennessee, when the engine sputtered and lost power. The pilot stated he moved the fuel selector from the auxiliary fuel tank to the right main fuel tank, established glide airspeed, and reported the loss of engine power to the Nashville air traffic control tower. The pilot stated he tried to find a road or clearing for landing, but he could not distinguish the terrain in the darkness. The pilot glided the airplane toward a dark area, then turned on the landing light and immediately saw treetops. The airplane collided with the trees and the ground. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. He stated he had planned to change the selected fuel tank in five or ten minutes, and he had inadvertently allowed the auxiliary tank to run out of fuel before switching to a tank containing fuel. The elevation at the accident site was approximately 830 feet.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 220 hours in all; 152 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 179 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 13, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 2004
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KJWN Nashville TN at 2:35 am
- Destination: KSYI Shelbyville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from KBNA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.