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ATL89LA055

1988-12-12 · ATHENS, Georgia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport AHN

Current FAA registration · N14695

Make / Model
BELLANCA 17-30A
Year of manufacture
1974 · 14 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19740419
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A0BCAB

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

DURING DESCENT TOWARD HIS INTENDED DESTINATION, THE PILOT NOTED A FLOATING AMMETER NEEDLE AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER HE NOTED HIS OIL PRESSURE WAS ZERO. THE ENGINE SEIZED AND HE SELECTED A STRAIGHT STRETCH OF PAVED ROAD FOR HIS FORCED LANDING. IN THE FINAL STAGES OF THE APPROACH, A SEMI TRAILER OBSTRUCTED THE ROADWAY AND HE ELECTED TO LAND IN A WHEAT FIELD ADJACENT TO THE ROADWAY. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED EVIDENCE OF LACK OF LUBRICATION AND A SEPARATION OF A CONNECTING ROD. A FAN SHAPED OIL DEPOSIT WAS FOUND ON THE INSIDE OF THE BOTTOM ENGINE COWLING UNDER THE OIL COOLER. THE COOLER HAD BEEN INSTALLED 29 HOURS PREVIOUS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1988_ATL89LA055.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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