Bellanca 17-30A accident near Painter, Virginia, May 7, 1984
On May 7, 1984 at about 1:30 am local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N11JJ, was destroyed in an accident near Painter, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 7, 1984 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Painter, Virginia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N11JJ · registry record · serial 30286
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ENCOUNTERING LOW CEILINGS, THE PLT ATTEMPTED A PRECAUTIONARY LDG. UPON REALIZING LIGHTS FROM THE GROUND WERE ON A HOUSE, A GO-AROUND WAS INITIATED WITH A CLIMBING LEFT TURN. THE ACFT THEN FLEW INTO TREES ONE FOURTH TO ONE HALF MILE FROM THE HOUSE.
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: 202 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,277 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 1983; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Naples FL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Woodbridge NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 am from SBY
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.