Bellanca 17-30A accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, July 24, 1988
On July 24, 1988 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N28140, was destroyed in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida. It was a personal 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 24, 1988 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N28140 · no longer on the register · serial 80-30980
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DEPARTED SPRUCE CREEK ARPT AND APRX 2 MINUTES LATER LOST POWER AND CRASHED INTO TREES JUST WEST OF THE VOLUSIA COUNTY LANDFILL APRX 4 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE DAYTONA BEACH REGIONAL ARPT. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE DRAIN LINE ON AN OIL SEPARATOR KIT RECENTLY INSTALLED WAS ADAPTED INADVERTANTLY TO A PRESSURE PORT ON THE ENGINE CASE INSTEAD OF A SUCTION PORT. THIS DIVERTED THE ENGINE OIL OVERBOARD THROUGH THE OIL SEPARATOR VENT TUBE, STARVING THE ENGINE OF OIL. THE ENGINE SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE WITH EVIDENCE OF SEIZURE.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,907 hours in all; 1,462 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,020 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1987; 142 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 44J Daytona Beach FL at 6:05 pm
- Destination: 3A9 Gatlinburg TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 11,000 ft; scat at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:08 pm from DAB, 4 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.