Bellanca 1730A accident near Martinton, Illinois, June 19, 2020
On June 19, 2020 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Bellanca 1730A, registered N244HW, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Martinton, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to conduct an off-field precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2020 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Martinton, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 1730A
- Registration
- N244HW · no longer on the register · serial 30317
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had flown about 3 hours of a cross-country flight when he thought he was going to run out of fuel. He could not find a runway nearby, so he elected to conduct a precautionary landing on a gravel road before the engine lost power due to fuel exhaustion. During the landing the airplane exited the road and went into a ditch, substantially damaging the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it contained about 1 hour of useable 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
What happened, in order
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: St. Louis MO
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.35 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 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 Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Communication - FAA | PDF, 1 page | 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.