Bellanca 17-30 accident near Hibbing, Minnesota, July 18, 1983
On July 18, 1983 at about 1:55 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30, registered N4831V, was destroyed in an accident near Hibbing, Minnesota (Chisholm-Hibbing airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1983 · about 1:55 pm local time
- Place
- Hibbing, Minnesota · Chisholm-Hibbing · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30 · all 17-30s on the register
- Registration
- N4831V · no longer on the register · serial 30096
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING & WAS ADVISED TO CHECK BACK BEFORE DEPARTING TO SEE IF ANYTHING HAD DEVELOPED. REPORTEDLY, HE TOOK OFF AT 0815 CDT, AND AT 0831 CDT, HE RADIOED THE HIBBING FSS FOR WX INFO. THE FSS SPECIALIST ADVISED THAT THE HIBBING WX WAS BELOW VFR MINIMUMS & THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE PLT STATED THAT HE WAS VFR ON TOP, THEN STATED HE DIDN'T THINK HE HAD ENOUGH FUEL TO DIVERT TO ELT, MN. HE REQUESTED A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE TO HIBBING WHICH WAS PROVIDED. AT 0849, HE REPORTED INBOUND OVER THE HIBBING VOR (7 MI SW OF THE ARPT). AT APRX 0855, THE ACFT CRASHED, SOUTHWEST OF THE INSTRUMENT APCH COURSE TO RWY 31 ON A HEADING OF 020 DEG. INITIAL IMPACT WAS WITH TREES & THE ANGLE OF DESCENT WAS MORE THAN 15 DEG. WITNESSES REPORTED THE ENG SOUND INCREASED JUST BEFORE IMPACT. A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL WAS NOTED AT THE CRASH SITE. DESPITE IMPACT DAMAGE, SOME FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE TANKS. REPORTEDLY, THE PLT HAD PREVIOUSLY DECLARED LOW FUEL STATUS FOR PREFERRED HANDLING. FOG OBSCURRED THE TREE TOPS.
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: 844 hours in all; 26 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 794 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,698 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 13, 1983; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WI32 Madeline Island WI at 2:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 6,494 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from HIB, 3 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.