Bellanca BL17-30A accident near Prescott, Arizona, April 6, 1998
On April 6, 1998 at about 6:34 pm local time, a Bellanca BL17-30A, registered N125SU, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona (Earnest A. Love Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain directional control after swerving off the runway and impacting a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1998 · about 6:34 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Earnest A. Love Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca BL17-30A
- Registration
- N125SU · no longer on the register · serial 76-30838
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft veered left after landing and encountered a drainage ditch that ran parallel to the runway surface.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 8,097 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 8,040 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 1997; 120 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: LSB Lordsburg NM at 4:30 pm
- Destination: PRC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21L, 7,616 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; ovct at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:40 pm from PRC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.