Bellanca 17 30 accident near Talihina, Oklahoma, June 7, 2020
On June 7, 2020 at about 6:35 pm local time, a 1967 Bellanca 17 30, registered N6681V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Talihina, Oklahoma (Talahina Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a crosswind landing, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 2020 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Talihina, Oklahoma · Talahina Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17 30 Undesignat, built 1967 · all 17 30s on the register
- Registration
- N6681V · no longer on the register · serial 30019
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After an uneventful local flight in the single-engine airplane, the pilot entered the landing pattern at his destination airport and the windsock indicated an almost perpendicular crosswind of about 10 knots. On final approach, after clearing a tree line, the pilot reduced engine power to land. As engine power and airspeed were reduced, the airplane's rate of descent suddenly increased. The pilot attempted to slow the rate of descent, but the airplane impacted the runway hard and bounced. The airplane exited the runway and impacted a berm. The nose landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the front lower part of the fuselage and firewall. The pilot stated that, due to the crosswind and the trees at the end and side of the runway, he should have adjusted his landing point further down the runway to avoid possible wind anomalies.
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
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 306 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 208 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 16, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,774 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 1,774 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F14 Wichita Falls TX at 6:00 pm
- Destination: 6F1 Talihina TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 3,300 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from RKR, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 24, 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 | NTSB Form 6120 Pilot Operator Report CEN20CA226 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array Showing Structural Damage CEN20CA226 | PDF, 3 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.