Bellanca 8KCAB N8739V

Summary

On 8 July 2000 at about 23:55 local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB registered N8739V was involved in an accident near Capron, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 July 2000 at 23:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Capron, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

42.3890, -88.7396

Aircraft

Bellanca 8KCAB

Registration

N8739V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Capron → Capron

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00FA186

1 person died.

The pilot attempting an aerobatic maneuver at a low altitude and the pilot not maintaining clearance from the terrain. A factor to the accident was the pilot disregarding the federal aviation regulations concerning the minimum altitudes required for aerobatic operations.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot attempted an aerobatic roll maneuver at an altitude lower than 100 feet above ground level and impacted the terrain at the completion of the maneuver. No anomalies with the aircraft or its engine could be associated to any pre-impact condition. According to the Bellanca 8KCAB Owner Manual, "Remember, altitude is your best insurance when doing aerobatics. According to Federal Aviation Regulations, the minimum legal altitude for aerobatics is 1500 feet AGL. Keep in mind that 1500 feet is therefore the minimum recovery altitude from any inadvertent maneuver and that 1000 feet of altitude can often be lost in a three-turn spin." 14 CFR Part 91.303, entitled "Aerobatic Flight", states that no person may operate an aircraft in aerobatic flight below an altitude below 1,500 feet above ground level. 14 CFR Part 91.303 further states, "For the purposes of this section, aerobatic flight means an intentional maneuver involving an abrupt change in an aircraft's attitude, an abnormal attitude, or abnormal acceleration, not necessary for normal flight."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.