Bellanca 17-30 accident near West Green, Georgia, August 21, 1986
On August 21, 1986 at about 5:42 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30, registered N6655V, was destroyed in an accident near West Green, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- August 21, 1986 · about 5:42 pm local time
- Place
- West Green, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30 · all 17-30s on the register
- Registration
- N6655V · no longer on the register · serial 30011
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF AT 1259 EDT, & AT 1318, HE REPORTED LEVEL AT 10,000'. THERE WAS NO FURTHER COMM WITH THE ACFT. AT ABOUT 1342, RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS FND SCATTERED OVER A 425 YD AREA, ALONG A SW AZMITH, APRX 1/2 MI FROM WHERE RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. THE ENG, EMPENNAGE & L WING WERE SEPD FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE WHICH CONTAINED THE FUSELAGE & RGT WING. THE L WING WAS FND ABOUT 425' NE OF THE FUSELAGE & THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS WERE FND NEAR THE L WING WITH EVIDENCE OF DOWNWARD FAILURE. PERSONNEL IN THE AREA RPRTD A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM (TSTM) AT ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACDNT. RADAR DATA INDICATED THE PRESENCE OF A LVL 4 OR STRONGER TSTM IN THE VICINITY. A SIGMET HAD BEEN ISSUED AT 1255 & WARNED OF TSTMS WITH TOPS ABOVE 45,000'. THE PLT DID NOT UPDATE HIS WX INFO WHILE EN ROUTE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 410 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 366 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,619 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 5, 1986; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SSI Brunswick GA at 4:59 pm
- Destination: 4A7 Hampton GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.