Bellanca 7ECA N8598V

Summary

On 20 September 1987 at about 21:06 local time, a Bellanca 7ECA registered N8598V, operated by Aero Schellville, was involved in an accident near Sonoma, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

20 September 1987 at 21:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Sonoma, California, United States

Coordinates

38.2400, -122.4590

Aircraft

Bellanca 7ECA

Registration

N8598V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Aero Schellville

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sonoma → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX87FA341

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE 70-HOUR STUDENT PLT HAD RECENTLY PASSED THE PVT PLT WRITTEN EXAM & HAD COMPLETED MOST OF THE FLT TRNG FOR CERTIFICATION. HE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO BECOMING A LICENSED PLT. WHILE ON A PERSONAL FLT, THE PLT FLEW OVER HIS BROTHER'S RESIDENCE & WAS OBSERVED TO ROCK THE ACFT'S WINGS BACK & FORTH. THE PLT THEN FLEW OVER HIS OWN HOUSE. WHILE CIRCLING AT BETWEEN 300 & 500 FT. AGL, THE PLT'S MOTHER SAW THE ACFT & WAVED. SHE REPORTED THAT HER SON 'WIGGLED' THE ACFT'S WINGS. THEN, AS THE MOTHER WATCHED, THE ACFT'S BANK STEEPENED. NUMEROUS WITNESSES REPORTED THE ACFT'S BANK ANGLE INCREASED TO 90 (OR MORE) DEGREES, & THE ACFT RAPIDLY DESCENDED UNTIL IT CRASHED INTO A NEIGHBOR'S BACKYARD WHILE IN A 60 DEG. PITCH DOWN ATTITUDE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ITS ENG.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.