Bellanca 14-19-2 accident near Palos Verdes, California, January 21, 1990
On January 21, 1990 at about 11:48 pm local time, a Bellanca 14-19-2, registered N7654B, was destroyed in an accident near Palos Verdes, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 1990 · about 11:48 pm local time
- Place
- Palos Verdes, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 14-19-2 · all 14-19-2s on the register
- Registration
- N7654B · no longer on the register · serial 4005
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS RECEIVING RADAR ADVISORIES FROM LAX TRACON. HE REPORTED THE ENGINE LOST TOTAL POWER. UNABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE, THE PLT DITCHED THE AIRPLANE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN. ALL OF THE OCCUPANTS WERE RESCUED BY A FISHING BOAT BEFORE THE AIRPLANE SANK. NEITHER THE AIRPLANE NOR THE ENGINE WAS RECOVERED. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE POWER LOSS APPEARED TO BE FUEL RELATED. THE AIRPLANE HAD 31 GALLONS OF FUEL WHEN IT DEPARTED AND WAS ABOUT 12 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT WHEN THE POWER LOSS OCCURRED. THE MAINTENANCE LOGBOOKS REVEALED THAT THE ENGINE HAD BEEN DISASSEMBLED AND INSPECTED DUE TO A PROP STRIKE. IT HAD BEEN REINSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE ABOUT 1 MONTH BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. AN OVERHAULED ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP WAS ALSO INSTALLED AT THE TIME THE ENGINE WAS REINSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE. THE AIRPLANE ACCRUED ABOUT 31 FLIGHT HOURS SINCE THE ENGINE WAS REINSTALLED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 303 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,820 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 13, 1989; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AVX Catalina CA at 11:39 pm
- Destination: SMO Santa Monica CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 22,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from LAX, 12 miles away
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.