Bellanca 8GCBC N629AP

Summary

On 21 July 2005 at about 14:27 local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC registered N629AP was involved in an accident near Beaumont, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 July 2005 at 14:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Beaumont, California, United States

Coordinates

33.9422, -117.0244

Aircraft

Bellanca 8GCBC

Registration

N629AP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Banner Tow

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05LA241

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering that led to an inadvertent stall/mush. The pilot's delayed decision to release the banner was also causal.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While towing a banner and maneuvering in a turn, the airplane entered a descent from which the pilot was unable to recover prior to ground impact in an open area on a golf course. The pilot said that the purpose of the flight was to overfly construction sites surrounding the golf course in Beaumont with a banner in tow. The pilot said there were no discrepancies noted with the takeoff, banner pickup, or the flight towards Beaumont. After reaching his assigned area he began to circle over the construction site. The pilot indicated that during the initial westerly turn to circle the site, the airplane sank rapidly. He added power and made a turn to the east, but the airplane continued to sink. He initially thought he had encountered wind shear and the airplane would fly out of it once the turn was completed. However, as the airplane continued to descend, he thought that the airplane might be experiencing an engine failure. He decided to make a forced landing in an open area on the golf course. Witnesses observed the airplane at a nose-high pitch attitude as it descended, and noted the banner being drugged through trees prior to being released. A post accident inspection of the engine revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded the engine from producing full power. The propeller displayed damage consistent with being driven under power at impact. The banner release mechanism was functionally tested. Review of weather conditions in the local area around the time of the accident revealed wind conditions of 5 knots or less, both on the ground and aloft, with no other atmospheric conditions conducive to wind shear or down bursts.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.