Bellanca 17-300 accident near El Paso, Texas, April 18, 1986
On April 18, 1986 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-300, registered N4881V, was destroyed in an accident near El Paso, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- April 18, 1986 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-300 · all 17-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4881V · no longer on the register · serial 20123
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ENG QUIT DUE TO FUEL STARVATION. THE ACFT HAD BEEN FLOWN 2.6 HOURS ON THE MAIN TANKS. NORMAL OPERATING TIME ON THE MAIN TANKS IS 2.5 HOURS ACCORDING TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL OF THE BELLANCA VIKING 300 SERIES. AT THE CRASH SITE THE MAIN TANKS WERE FOUND EMPTY AND THE AUX TANKS WERE FULL. THE PLT HAD FAILED TO SWITCH FROM THE MAIN TANKS TO THE AUX TANKS. NO EVIDENCE OF ENG MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND TO EXIT WHEN EXAMINED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,058 hours in all; 477 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 7,055 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,293 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 1986; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:59 pm from ELP, 6 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.