Bellanca 7KCAB N36339

Summary

On 12 June 2020 at about 17:00 local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB registered N36339, operated by Boeing Employees Flying Assoc Inc, was involved in an accident near Renton, Washington, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 June 2020 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Renton, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Renton Municipal Airport (RNT)

Coordinates

47.4883, -122.2122

Aircraft

Bellanca 7KCAB

Registration

N36339

Category

Airplane

Year built

1973

Engines

1

Operator

Boeing Employees Flying Assoc Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Renton → Renton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20LA180

2 people had minor injuries.

Maintenance personnel’s inadequate post-maintenance inspections that resulted in the total loss of engine power due to a blockage in the air intake.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had recently undergone an annual inspection, and the accident flight was the first flight since being out of maintenance. After making a normal departure and touch-and-go landing, the pilot receiving instruction applied full power. As the airplane reached an altitude of about 400 feet above ground level (agl), the engine abruptly stopped producing (total) power. The airplane could not maintain level altitude and during the subsequent off-airport landing, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with a tree. Postaccident examination revealed that the air induction box contained a piece of bunched up paper that likely restricted the inlet cavity. As part of the annual inspection, a repair person completed a small fiberglass patch and painting on the lower cowling. He could not recall the specific repair on the airplane but said he often placed paper in the induction to prevent debris from entering the engine. After the maintenance, the airplane sat for a day with the lower cowling not fastened but maintenance personnel did not recognize the blockage. They also did not find the paper during the post-maintenance inspections and returned the airplane into service with an unsafe condition.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.