Bellanca 17-30A accident near Steubenville, Ohio, December 18, 1997
On December 18, 1997, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N28122, was destroyed in an accident near Steubenville, Ohio (Jefferson County Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Collision with deer on runway during initial takeoff and climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1997
- Place
- Steubenville, Ohio · Jefferson County Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N28122 · no longer on the register · serial 78-30893
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot and the certificated flight instructor (CFI) taxied to the runway, where the private pilot applied power and started the take off roll. The pilots reported feeling a jolt just after rotation, and the airplane veered to the right. The CFI immediately took control of the airplane and began to maneuver the airplane around obstructions. The CFI reported that the airplane responded sluggishly to his inputs, and it would not climb or accelerate. The CFI stated that he lowered the nose of the airplane to prevent a stall, and shortly thereafter, the airplane collided with trees. A deer carcass along with parts from the airplane's right wing were located less than a third of the way from the approach end of the 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 555 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 461 as pilot in command; 208 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1997; 160 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2G2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,500 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.