Bellanca 7KCAB N11679

Summary

On 20 June 2013 at about 20:20 local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB registered N11679, operated by King William A, was involved in an accident near East Aurora, New York, 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

20 June 2013 at 20:20

Classification

Accident

Location

East Aurora, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Treichler Farm (5NK9)

Coordinates

42.7617, -78.4961

Aircraft

Bellanca 7KCAB

Registration

N11679

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

King William A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

East Aurora → East Aurora

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13CA298

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a rejected takeoff on a soft turf runway with a gusty wind, resulting in the airplane nosing over.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that his tailwheel airplane was near its maximum gross weight and he planned to depart his private airstrip from runway 18, a 1,530-foot long turf runway. The pilot had completed takeoff performance calculations, which revealed a total distance of 1,429 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle. The pilot's calculations included adjustments for an up-sloping runway, grass taller than 4 inches, soft terrain, and no headwind component. He observed that the wind at the time of departure was from the south to southwest at 5 to 10 knots. The engine developed rated power during run-up and the takeoff roll; however, the airplane lifted off slightly further down the runway than the pilot expected and it seemed to stop accelerating in a flat climb attitude. Due to obstacles at the end of the runway, the pilot reduced power and performed an "aggressive" wheel landing in an attempt to stop on the remaining runway. The airplane subsequently nosed over and came to rest inverted on the grass runway. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the forward fuselage and vertical stabilizer. The recorded wind at an airport located approximately 15 miles from the accident site, about 25 minutes prior to the accident, was from 260 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 14 knots. The pilot added that after the accident, he noticed that the wind had shifted from south to north.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.