Bellanca 7GCBC N11698

Summary

On 8 June 2015 at about 22:15 local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC registered N11698, operated by Semper Fi Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Kadoka, South Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 June 2015 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Kadoka, South Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Kadoka Municipal (5V8)

Coordinates

43.8333, -101.4972

Aircraft

Bellanca 7GCBC

Registration

N11698

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Semper Fi Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kadoka → Kadoka

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15FA264

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in the airplane’s wing exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was departing for an aerial application flight. A witness, who observed the airplane climbing out after takeoff, reported that the airplane was about the same height as nearby light poles and was slipping "slightly to the right," when the right wing dropped "sharply." The airplane descended and impacted the ground, and a postimpact fire ensued. A postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any anomalies consistent with preimpact failure or malfunction. Phentermine, a stimulant in the amphetamine class of drugs, was noted in the pilot's toxicology report. The level of the medication detected was below the therapeutic range, and stimulants typically speed up psychomotor functioning; therefore, it is unlikely that any effects of phentermine contributed to the pilot's loss of control on takeoff. It is likely that the pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, resulting in the airplane's wing exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall with insufficient altitude to recover before impacting the ground. The slipping noted by the witness is consistent with uncoordinated flight, which increases the likelihood of a wing dropping when a stall occurs.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.