Bellanca 17-30A accident near Shelbyville, Tennessee, March 25, 1983
On March 25, 1983 at about 7:02 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N28190, was destroyed in an accident near Shelbyville, Tennessee (Bomar Field). 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 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
- March 25, 1983 · about 7:02 pm local time
- Place
- Shelbyville, Tennessee · Bomar Field · 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
- N28190 · no longer on the register · serial 79-30916
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER POWER LOSS DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION. THE ACFT WAS ON THEFINAL APPROACH. THE PILOT SAID HE WOULD BE LANDING SHORT OF THE RWY. WHEN ASKED THE NATURE OF HIS EMERGENCY HE SAID 'I THINK I AM RUNNING OUT OF FUEL.' THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED IN A STEEP LEFT TURN HITTING THE WIRES AND GOING INVERTED BEFORE IMPACT. THE PILOT EXITED WITH MINOR INJURIES. THE PILOT SAID HE TRIED SWITCHING FUEL TANKS BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART. ACCORDING TO THE FUEL SUPPLY AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME IN FLT THE ACFT SHOULD HAVE EXHAUSTED ITS SUPPLY OF USABLE FUEL.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,655 hours in all; 135 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 1,325 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 1983; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-K1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PMP Pompano Beach FL at 2:24 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,003 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.