Bellanca 17-30 accident near Prescott, Arizona, July 4, 1997
On July 4, 1997 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30, registered N70EC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona (Prescott airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper placement of the unmarked fuel selector valve to off which resulted in fuel starvation. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of total experience in this model aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1997 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Prescott · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30 · all 17-30s on the register
- Registration
- N70EC · registry record · serial 30193
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was entering the airport for runway 21 when the tower cleared him to land on runway 30 instead. The pilot said he attempted to add power to extend his approach when the engine seemed to drop to idle. In an attempt to land on runway 21 he extended his landing gear but touched down approximately 60 feet short of the runway. The pilot stated he had 45 gallons of fuel in the airplane before takeoff. It was determined during the postcrash aircraft examination that the fuel selector had no noticeable detent when it was moved from position to position. Additionally, the placards were not legible on the fuel selector. There was no visible fuel found in the left auxiliary tank, and only a trace in the right auxiliary tank. A stick test determined that there was approximately 4 inches of fuel in the right and left main tank. During the postaccident examination of the engine, there were no abnormalities found that would have prevented the engine from being run.
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
What happened, in order
- LOSS OF ENGINE POWER during go-around (vfr)
- FORCED LANDING during emergency descent/landing
- IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN/WATER during emergency descent/landing
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 2,011 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 2,011 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 3
The aircraft
- Last inspection: type not recorded, November 1, 1996; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-O (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: 2L3 Quartzsite AZ at 5:30 pm
- Destination: PRC AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 7,616 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 65 statute miles
- Sky: scattered at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°C, dew point 28°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 6:30 pm from PRC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX97LA238.