Bellanca 7GCBC N10989

Summary

On 6 July 2000 at about 18:40 local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC registered N10989 was involved in an accident near Wildwood, New Jersey, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 July 2000 at 18:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Wildwood, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Cape May County Airport (WWD)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Bellanca 7GCBC

Registration

N10989

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Milton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC00LA187

Nobody was injured.

an improper flare by the pilot which induced an overload failure on the left side landing gear bolts. Factors were the corrosion on the bolts, and the failure of the operator to change the u-bolt in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the landing roll, the airplane's left main landing gear started to wobble and ultimately separated from the fuselage. The failed landing gear section was held in place with a through bolt near the center of the fuselage, and a u-bolt where the landing gear exited the fuselage. Examination of the failed bolts revealed corrosion pitting and the bolts had failed by overload. According to the airplane owner, the bolts had been in place for 20 years and had accumulated 580 hours. The manufacturer recommended replacement of the bolts when they had accumulated 500 hours, but did not list a calendar time for replacement. Additionally, there was no regulatory requirement for the owner to follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.