Low-Altitude Maneuvering · NTSB CEN17FA080
BELLANCA 7GCBC — Wellington, TX
| Date | January 21, 2017 |
| Location | Wellington, TX |
| Aircraft | BELLANCA 7GCBC |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-low-alt flying Low altitude operation/event |
| Pilot age | 28 |
| Pilot total time | 492 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 111 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Capability exceeded - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The commercial pilot was taking his cousin for an airplane ride. During takeoff, the airplane remained in ground effect until it reached a point near or past the departure end of the runway, and then it entered a right climbing turn. At an altitude of about 100 to 150 ft above ground level, the airplane entered a left turn with a bank angle that increased to about 80° to 90° before the airplane descended and impacted the ground. Wreckage distribution and ground scarring were consistent with a nose-down, low-speed, impact. It is likely that the excessive left bank angle resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation.