Bellanca 17-30A N8794V accident near Mukilteo, Washington

Probable cause

Loss of engine power while on final approach for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was a power line.

NTSB analysis

While the pilot was on short-final for a touch-and-go landing, the airplane's engine lost all power. Because he was at such a low altitude, he did not have time to go through a complete restart procedure, so after switching fuel tanks, he aligned the airplane to land on a paved road that was under his approach path. While attempting to land on that road, the airplane clipped a power line and descended into the surface of the road. An inspection of the engine, fuel system, and air induction system did not reveal any system or component anomaly that would have prevented the engine from producing rated horsepower. Both the fuel tank that was selected prior to the power loss, and the fuel tank that was selected after the power loss contained sufficient fuel to maintain operation of the engine. Fuel was also found in the fuel manifold valve. The reason for the loss of power was not determined.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for SEA08LA068 for the full record.