Bellanca BL-17-30A accident near Kings Bay, Georgia, November 25, 1995
On November 25, 1995 at about 11:19 pm local time, a Bellanca BL-17-30A, registered N28049, was destroyed in an accident near Kings Bay, Georgia (Jacksonville Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of control due to pilot spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was: the dark night condition and the pilot's improper decision to turn to an easterly heading with no ground reference lights available.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 1995 · about 11:19 pm local time
- Place
- Kings Bay, Georgia · Jacksonville Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca BL-17-30A
- Registration
- N28049 · no longer on the register · serial 78-30888
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 1745, while over Hilton Head airport en route to the pilot's planned fuel stop, the passenger/pilot's wife, using a cellular phone, reported to a friend that her husband couldn't descend below the clouds. At 1817, the pilot advised Jacksonville tower that the flight was about 22 miles northeast inbound for landing. One minute later he contacted Jacksonville approach and advised that he would '...get a little bit oriented first,...10 miles east-northeast inbound landing, circle around out here and get a heading or give me vector.' The airplane was assigned a discreet transponder code and the pilot was given the altimeter setting, wind information, and the active runway information. There was no further radio contact with the pilot. Radar data indicates that the airplane began a left descending turn to the east with the ground speed increasing. The airplane impacted the water during a descending left turn and the engine was heard to be operating normally. Examination of the recovered wreckage revealed evidence consistent with a high speed impact with the water.
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
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-K1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 47N Manville NJ at 7:00 pm
- Destination: JAX Jacksonville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from JAX, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.