Bellanca 17-30A accident near Wellington, Kansas, December 29, 2003
On December 29, 2003 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N14763, was destroyed in an accident near Wellington, Kansas (Wellington Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining directional control during the landing roll. Factors were the dry grass and the concrete box he encountered during his excursion off the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 2003 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Wellington, Kansas · Wellington Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N14763 · no longer on the register · serial 74-30705
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed during landing roll when it impacted a concrete electrical box following an excursion off of runway 17. The pilot stated, "I (as pilot) made an input of right aileron down which [exacerbated the] skid, including [the] right wing tip scraping the runway. Aircraft departed runway. Aircraft returned to three wheels down within 40 feet of runway edge. Aircraft was uncontrollable on dry, dead grass." The concrete electrical box was located approximately 75 feet left of the runway. The Airport/Facility Directory contained published remarks that warned personnel and equipment would be working adjacent to that runway.
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
- Flight time: 275 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 249 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,706.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 18, 2003; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNL Shawnee OK at 4:40 pm
- Destination: EGT Wellington KS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 17, 3,538 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from WLD, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.