Bellanca 14-19-3 accident near Healdsburg, California, August 30, 2012
On August 30, 2012 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 14-19-3, registered N1299R, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Healdsburg, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power during cruise flight due to the failure of the engine-driven fuel pump as a result of unidentified debris within the vapor return jet.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2012 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Healdsburg, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 14-19-3 · all 14-19-3s on the register
- Registration
- N1299R · no longer on the register · serial 4341
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during cruise flight, the engine lost power, and he performed the emergency procedures; however, the engine would not restart. The pilot then performed a forced landing to an open field. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the fuel pump would not pump fuel when the driveshaft was actuated. Further, during testing, the fuel pump did not produce adequate pressure without the test bench priming pump in operation. The fuel pump was removed and disassembled, and unidentified pliable debris was found in the vapor return jet. The debris was removed from the vapor return jet, and the fuel pump was reassembled. Following reinstallation on the test bench, the fuel pump was found to operate and produced pressure in excess of the manufacturer specifications. It is likely that the debris restricted the fuel flow and the engine subsequently lost power. Due to the compromise of the fuel system during the accident, the source of the debris could not be determined.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel pump › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 19,900 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 2, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,015 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STS Santa Rosa CA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: STS Santa Rosa CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from STS, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1299R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR12LA394.