Bellanca 7GCBC N8634

Summary

On 4 July 1995 at about 22:00 local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC registered N8634 was involved in an accident near Long Beach, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 1995 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Long Beach, California, United States

Nearest airport

Long Beach Muni (LGB)

Coordinates

33.7807, -118.1393

Aircraft

Bellanca 7GCBC

Registration

N8634

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX95LA240

Nobody was injured.

the inadvertent entanglement of the banner tow cable with the rudder control system, which resulted in a full and uncorrectable deflection of the rudder, and the pilot's inability to control the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE TOW SYSTEM ON THE AIRCRAFT CONSISTS OF A SHORT CABLE ATTACHED TO THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT WITH A HOOK ON THE END. THE HOOK IS THEN USED TO SNAG THE BANNER CABLE DURING A PICKUP MANEUVER. PRIOR TO TAKEOFF, THE CABLE IS ROUTED OUTBOARD OF THE RUDDER CONTROL CABLES WHICH ARE ATTACHED TO THE HORN AND SPRINGS OF THE TAIL WHEEL STEERING MECHANISM. THE PILOT THEN HOLDS THE HOOK UNDER TENSION WITH HIS LEFT HAND DURING THE TAKEOFF AND DROPS THE HOOK ONCE AIRBORNE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE LIFTED OFF NORMALLY, DROPPED THE HOOK CABLE, AND THEN HOOKED THE BANNER CABLE NEAR THE END OF RUNWAY 25R. IMMEDIATELY, THE RUDDER WENT TO A FULL RIGHT DEFLECTION AND THE PILOT COULD NOT CORRECT THE RUDDER WITH A PEDAL APPLICATION. THE PILOT MADE TWO RIGHT TURNS NEAR THE AIRPORT BOUNDARY IN AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND SNAGGED THE BANNER ON A FENCE. THE TORN BANNER THEN BECAME UNSTABLE AND SNAGGED ON TREES AT AN ADJACENT GOLF COURSE AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ON THE THIRD FAIRWAY. FRESH CABLE SIGNATURES WERE PRESENT COMPLETELY AROUND THE RUDDER CONTROL HORN AT THE RUDDER CABLE ATTACH POINT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.