NTSB ERA23LA389 — 2023-09-03 · Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Current FAA registration · N74TR

Make / Model: BELLANCA 17-30A
Engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19740730
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A9F1EA

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N74TR Bellanca 17-30A None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during the aborted landing, which resulted in a collision with a taxiway light.

Factual narrative

The pilot was attempting to land when the airplane bounced after touchdown and turned into the wind like a weathervane. The pilot aborted the landing, but as the airplane began to climb, it struck a taxiway light. The pilot thought he struck the left landing gear and contacted the control tower who confirmed that all three-landing gear appeared down and locked. The pilot was able to return to the airport and land without incident. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the left horizontal stabilizer was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA23LA389.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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