Accident Overview
On February 2, 2008, at approximately 1230 Pacific standard time, a Bellanca 17-30A (registration N8794V) collided with a power line during an attempted forced landing near Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field) in Mukilteo, Washington. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained serious injuries. The aircraft, owned and operated by the pilot, received substantial damage. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal pleasure flight, having departed the same airport about 15 minutes earlier. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. No report of an emergency locator transmitter activation was received.
Pilot Account
According to the pilot, the engine lost all power while he was on short final for a touch-and-go landing. Due to his low altitude, he could not complete a full restart procedure. After switching fuel tanks, he aligned the aircraft to land on a paved road under his approach path. During the landing attempt, the aircraft clipped a power line near the edge of the road. After striking the line, the aircraft rolled to a steep bank angle and descended into the road surface.
Post-Accident Inspection
A post-accident teardown inspection of the engine, fuel system, and air induction system did not reveal any anomaly that would have prevented the engine from producing rated horsepower. Both the fuel tank selected before the power loss and the tank selected after contained sufficient fuel for continued operation. Fuel was present in the fuel manifold valve, and water detection paste indicated no water in the valve.