Bellanca 17-30 accident near Havelock, North Carolina, May 19, 1982
On May 19, 1982 at about 1:48 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30, registered N6690V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Havelock, North Carolina (Cherry Point Mcas airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 1982 · about 1:48 pm local time
- Place
- Havelock, North Carolina · Cherry Point Mcas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30 · all 17-30s on the register
- Registration
- N6690V · no longer on the register · serial 30028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ABOUT EIGHT MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND REPORTED AN ENGINE FAILURE. HE DIVERTED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE AIRPORT. A GEAR-UP LANDING WAS MADE ABOUT ONE MILE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE VACUUM PUMP WAS NOT INSTALLED ON THE ENGINE AND THERE WAS NO COVER PLATE OVER THE OPENING. OIL WAS OBSERVED ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. THE PILOT STATED THAT A MECHANIC, WHO HAD REMOVED THE VACUUM PUMP, HAD ADVISED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEMS WITH FLYING THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT THE PUMP. A TEARDOWN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE NO. 4 CONNECTING ROD HAD FAILED. THE NO. 2 AND 3 CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS WERE BURNT OUT. THE NO. 5 AND 6 ROD BEARINGS WERE BADLY SCORED. THE ENGINE OIL PUMP WAS INTACT AND CONTAINED RESIDUAL OIL; THE PUMP GEARS APPEARED NORMAL. ABOUT 1 1/2 QUARTS OF OIL WAS FOUND IN THE ENGINE BEFORE DISASSEMBLY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 636 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Beaufort NC at 9:30 am
- Destination: Kinston NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 8,400 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 147°F (64°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.