Bellanca 7GCBC N30WH

Summary

On 7 January 2008 at about 19:15 local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC registered N30WH was involved in an accident near Exeter, California, United States. 2 people were 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

7 January 2008 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Exeter, California, United States

Nearest airport

Thunderhawk Field (O63)

Coordinates

36.2386, -119.1431

Aircraft

Bellanca 7GCBC

Registration

N30WH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Exeter → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08CA044

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during landing, the airplane veered to the right, which he corrected by using left rudder. The airplane again veered to the right, and as the pilot applied left rudder, the right main wheel came in contact with soft mud and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained damage to the wings and the left flap. The FAA coordinator interviewed the pilot. The pilot's statement was that he is a certified flight instructor who has instructed in Citabria's and usually sits in the rear seat. On this flight, he was taking a friend up and decided to fly from front seat. He stated that he was concerned when sitting in the front seat that he could not fully reach the rudder pedals (he is 5'6'' tall). He considered getting a pillow to help him sit forward but decided against it. He stated that his inability to apply full left rudder was a factor in loss of directional control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.