Bellanca 17-30A accident near Robbins, Tennessee, August 23, 1999
On August 23, 1999 at about 4:26 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N42VB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Robbins, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The total loss of engine power due to failure of maintenance personnel to assure that the thru bolt nut at the Nos. 2 and 3 cylinders was adequately torqued following removal and replacement of the No. 3 cylinder approximately 328 hours earlier. Also, the unsuitable terrain encountered by the pilot during the forced landing. A factor in the accident was the operation of the airplane by the owner exceeding the recommended oil change intervals.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1999 · about 4:26 pm local time
- Place
- Robbins, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N42VB · registry record · serial 30384
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight about 49 minutes after takeoff, the pilot declared a mayday and reported that the engine quit. Unable to land at the closest airport, he maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing to a field and collided with trees while descending. The Nos. 1, 2, and 4 connecting rods were broken; heat distress was noted at cylinder Nos. 1, 2, and 4 connecting rod journals. Fretting was noted at the upper support boss for the No. 2 main bearing. Damage to the bearing saddle area on both crankcase halves for the No. 2 main bearing was noted. Brown discoloration was noted at the No. 2 main bearing journal. The engine was overhauled December 1985, installed April 1986, and January 1994, the Nos. 3, and 6 cylinders were replaced and the top of the crankcase was sealed. The engine accumulated approximately 995 hours since overhaul and 328 hours since installation of the replacement cylinders. The thru bolt located adjacent to the fretted support boss of the No. 2 main bearing is used to secure the Nos. 2, and 3 cylinders. The engine oil was changed last approximately 65 hours earlier; the engine manufacturer recommends oil change each 25 hours.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,276 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 1,276 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,961 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 6, 1998; 65 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: TRI Bristol TN at 3:31 pm
- Destination: BNA Nashville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from CSV, 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.