Bellanca 7KCAB N88212

Summary

On 10 April 1999 at about 23:50 local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB registered N88212, operated by North Las Vegas Flying Club, was involved in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 April 1999 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

North Las Vegas (VGT)

Coordinates

36.2092, -115.1199

Aircraft

Bellanca 7KCAB

Registration

N88212

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

North Las Vegas Flying Club

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA143

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to ensure that all loose items inside the cockpit were secure before attempting aerobatic maneuvers.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

In the pilot's written statement he said he climbed to 6,000 feet msl to practice aerobatic maneuvers and entered a left upright spin. After two turns, he initiated a forward movement of the stick to recover and found that the stick was jammed in the full aft position. He looked in the rear seat area and discovered that the rear seat back frame had fallen forward, looped over the stick, and was holding it in place. Following unsuccessful attempts to reach the seat back and recover, the pilot abandoned the airplane and parachuted to the ground. According to the pilot, the aircraft continued in the spin until ground impact. Additionally, the pilot said that a safety cable is supposed to hold the rear seat back frame upright during maneuvers to prevent the back from interfering with the rear control stick. The pilot reported that during the preflight inspection he observed that the safety cable was present. After the accident, a flight instructor told the pilot that the cable had been reportedly disconnected from its attach point by maintenance personnel to facilitate access to the aircraft battery and the ELT area behind the rear seat.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.