Bellanca 17-30A accident near Camdenton, Missouri, May 14, 1994
On May 14, 1994, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N4226B, was destroyed in an accident near Camdenton, Missouri (Camdenton Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft. A factor was his lack of experience flying in actual instrument flight conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1994
- Place
- Camdenton, Missouri · Camdenton Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N4226B · registry record · serial 75-30740
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument rated private pilot and three passengers departed the St. Louis Downtown Parks Airport and flew an IFR flight plan en route to the Camdenton Memorial Airport in Camdenton, Missouri. Two miles northeast of the destination airport, while descending through a cloud deck during the final approach portion of the VOR-A approach, the pilot lost control of the aircraft which impacted the terrain in a near vertical attitude. A pilot who had flown the approach immediately prior to the accident aircraft stated the weather on the final approach was 800 feet overcast. The accident pilot had accumulated a total of approximately 4 hours of actual instrument flight time since he had received his instrument rating 23 months prior to the accident. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomaly with either the airframe or engine, was discovered during the investigation.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 278 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 179 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CPS Cahokia IL at 11:36 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.