Bellanca BL17-30 accident near Beatty, Nevada, November 8, 1986
On November 8, 1986 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Bellanca BL17-30, registered N4797V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Beatty, Nevada (Scotty'S Junction airport). 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 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
- November 8, 1986 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Beatty, Nevada · Scotty'S Junction · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca BL17-30
- Registration
- N4797V · no longer on the register · serial 30080
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE AT 11,500 FT MSL, FUEL PRESSURE AND ENGINE PWR WERE LOST. PLT TRIED VARIATIONS OF FUEL TANK SELECTIONS AND BOOST PUMP WITH NO SUCCESS. DURING FORCED LANDING ATTEMPT AT REMOTE AIRSTRIP, PLT MISJUDGED APPROACH, STALLED ACFT ABOUT 100 YDS SHORT OF RUNWAY, MUSHING TO GROUND CONTACT. NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF FUEL PUMP FAILURE, LINE OR DISTRIBUTOR BLOCKAGE. ENGINE TEST RUN SATISFACTORY.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 1,265 hours in all; 381 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1,165 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 468 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 6, 1986; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRK Truckee CA at 4:50 pm
- Destination: P20 Parker AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 34, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:58 pm from TPH, 46 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.