Bellanca 17-30A accident near Albany, Georgia, June 30, 2000
On June 30, 2000 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N8787V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albany, Georgia. 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
The dual student's failure to purge the fuel lines of air after a fuel tank was run dry on the previous flight and the failure of the electric fuel boost pump on or low position due to a loose wire which resulted in failure of the engine due to air in the lines and collision with trees during a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2000 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Albany, Georgia · 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
- N8787V · no longer on the register · serial 30319
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While climbing after takeoff the dual student who was flying the airplane switched fuel tanks. The engine quit. No fuel pressure or fuel flow was showing on the gauges. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful and when the field that was chosen for a forced landing could not be reached, the airplane crashed into trees. Postcrash of the aircraft by an FAA inspector showed the engine fuel system did not contain any fuel. The electric fuel boost pump switch had a wire loose which prevented the pump from operating in the on position. A fuel tank had been run dry on the previous flight. The flight manual states that in the event a fuel tank has been run dry and is refueled with the selector off or on another tank position it is possible to have air in the lines. This should be eliminated by running up the engine on the noted tank before takeoff.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,356 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 94 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,282 as pilot in command; 639 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,225 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 6, 1999; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABY at 7:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from ABY, 10 miles away
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.