Bellanca 17-30A accident near Washington, Missouri, December 30, 2023

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot reported that the engine start, run-up, and takeoff were without incident. However, shortly after takeoff, the engine completely lost power. In his efforts to avoid trees in the glide path, the airplane inadvertently entered an aerodynamic stall and spin. He was able to recover from the spin but unable to arrest the descent before impacting an open field. The airplane came to rest upright with damage to the fuselage, left wing, and empennage. The pilot reported that about three weeks before the accident a similar loss of engine power event occurred after takeoff. In that instance, he was able to land in the level grass area short of the runway without any damage to the airplane. A mechanic examined the airplane and noted that the diffuser was missing from the muffler. A postrecovery examination did not reveal any anomalies with the engine assembly. However, testing and disassembly of the fuel pump identified a piece of debris within the vapor ejector cavity. Further analysis determined that the material was a rubber fragment from a fuel line. The examination did not observe any indication that diffusers were installed in either the left or right mufflers. The fuel line fragment present in the pump likely traveled into a position in which it blocked the vapor return. This blockage then routed any fuel vapor into the fuel inlet line to the engine and resulted in an interruption of fuel flow due to vapor lock. The airplane maintenance records did not reveal a record of any recent work on the fuel pump or fuel lines. The investigation was unable to determine how the rubber fuel line fragment was introduced into the fuel system.

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.

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