Bellanca 17-30A accident near Zanesville, Ohio, November 28, 2000
On November 28, 2000 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N8268R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Zanesville, Ohio (Zanesville Municipal Arpt airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow the restart procedures published in the approved flight manual(AFM). Factors were his failure to follow the fuel management procedures published in the AFM, which resulted in fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 2000 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Zanesville, Ohio · Zanesville Municipal Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N8268R · no longer on the register · serial 30463
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was ferrying the airplane with the landing gear locked down. During the descent for landing, with the right auxiliary fuel tank selected, the engine lost power. The pilot switched tanks and pumped the throttle, but was unable to get the engine started, and landed off airport in a field. Examination revealed the right auxiliary fuel tank, the fuel lines to the fuel control unit, and the fuel injection manifold were absent of fuel. Useable fuel was found in the other three fuel tanks. When the auxiliary fuel pump was turned on, fuel flowed to the fuel control unit. The flight manual stated that the auxiliary fuel tanks were for use in level flight only, and if a fuel tank was run dry, you needed to switch to a tank with fuel and turn on the auxiliary fuel pump to low. The pilot reported that he was aware of the procedure to turn on the auxiliary fuel pump, but after he changed fuel tanks, he had to focus his attention on flying the airplane and to the immanent forced landing.
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: 3,100 hours in all; 210 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,209 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 2000; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RFD Rockford IL at 3:10 pm
- Destination: ZZV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ZZV, 8 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.