Bellanca 1730 accident near Clear Lake, Minnesota, November 23, 2019
On November 23, 2019 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1979 Bellanca 1730, registered N28037, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Clear Lake, Minnesota (Leaders Clear Lake 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 pilot's focus inside the cockpit during the base turn and final approach, which led to a high sink rate developing and a subsequent hard landing short of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2019 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Clear Lake, Minnesota · Leaders Clear Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 1730 A, built 1979
- Registration
- N28037 · no longer on the register · serial 79-30949
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a night visual flight to an airport with dim runway lighting. The pilot stated that, during the base turn and final approach, his attention was focused inside the cockpit as he rechecked the landing gear, mixture lever, and propeller lever positions. He noticed a sink rate had developed as the landing lights illuminated a row of 50- to 75-ft-tall trees on final approach. The pilot pulled back aggressively on the yoke to clear the trees. The airplane continued to descend and impacted the ground hard short of the runway. The fuselage and firewall sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that his attention should have been focused more outside the cockpit during the base turn and final approach and that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 248 hours in all; 248 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 248 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 13, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,935 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2019; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-540 (piston); 1,935 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGG Maple Lake MN at 11:15 pm
- Destination: 8Y6 Clear Lake MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.67 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KSTC, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 26, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Provided Information and Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.