Bellanca 8KCAB N50554

Summary

On 2 December 2001 at about 19:21 local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB registered N50554, operated by Hart Air, was involved in an accident near Long Beach, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 December 2001 at 19:21

Classification

Accident

Location

Long Beach, California, United States

Coordinates

33.8178, -118.1517

Aircraft

Bellanca 8KCAB

Registration

N50554

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Hart Air

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02LA037

1 person was seriously injured.

the loss of aircraft control while maneuvering for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted the ocean in an uncontrolled descent after experiencing a loss of control while maneuvering. The certified flight instructor (CFI) demonstrated a 4-point roll and transferred control of the airplane to the pilot under instruction (PUI) so that he could demonstrate the maneuver. Shortly after transferring control, the airplane's nose pitched down 20-30 degrees. The PUI asked the CFI if he was causing the nose to pitch down, to which the CFI responded in the negative. The CFI attempted to correct the nose down pitch but the control stick had no effect and the trim would not budge. Both the CFI and the PUI bailed out of the airplane before it impacted the ocean. The airplane was not recovered, and the reason for the loss of control was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.