Bellanca 17-30A accident near Palatka, Florida, July 13, 1987
On July 13, 1987 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N93664, was destroyed in an accident near Palatka, Florida. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1987 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Palatka, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N93664 · no longer on the register · serial 7430667
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE ACFT'S ENG SOUNDING ROUGH JUST BEFORE IT CRASHED INTO THE TREES. ANOTHER WITNESS STATED THAT HE NOTICED THAT THERE WERE FLAMES & SMOKE COMING FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PLANE. A TAIL PIPE ASSEMBLY WAS FOUND ON THE RAMP AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WHERE THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY PARKED. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE LEFT TAILPIPE ASSEMBLY WAS MISSING & EVIDENCE OF EXTREME HEAT DAMAGE IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA BEHIND WHERE THE LEFT TAILPIPE HAD BEEN LOCATED.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 28J Palatka FL at 6:10 pm
- Destination: VLD Valdosta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from GNV, 35 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.