Bellanca BL17-30 accident near Columbus, New Mexico, April 26, 2001
On April 26, 2001 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Bellanca BL17-30, registered N6671V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, New Mexico. 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 impact with terrain following an inadvertent stall/mush by the pilot during a go-around. A contributing factor was a dust devil.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 2001 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Columbus, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca BL17-30
- Registration
- N6671V · no longer on the register · serial 30049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was preparing to land westbound on a road when a "dust devil" struck the airplane. As he applied full power to abort his landing, a gust of wind struck the airplane causing it to drift to the south of the road towards a set of power lines. He "pulled up" and tried to maneuver the airplane over the power lines,however, the airplane stalled and impacted the ditch on the north side of the road. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, right wing tip, nose landing gear, both left and right main landing gear and propeller.
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: 71 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 43 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 25, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,016 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2001; 27.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DMN Deming NM at 9:55 pm
- Destination: Columbus NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KDMN, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.