Bellanca 7ECA N11648

Summary

On 31 August 2023 at about 21:13 local time, a Bellanca 7ECA registered N11648 was involved in an accident near Midlothian, Texas, 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

31 August 2023 at 21:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Midlothian, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Mid-Way Rgnl (JWY)

Coordinates

32.4583, -96.9125

Aircraft

Bellanca 7ECA

Registration

N11648

Category

Airplane

Year built

1972

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Prairie → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA392

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing which resulted in the right main landing gear collapse.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was familiarizing himself with the airplane in preparation for a multi-day cross-country flight. He also said that there was a potential that he would provide flight instruction to a student during the upcoming flights, so he wanted to perform three takeoffs and landings in the airplane to meet the recent flight experience requirements of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 61.57. He said that as he approached the airport, the reported weather indicated the wind was aligned with the runway. During the approach, he noted that the windsock showed a left crosswind, and he adjusted the approach using crosswind control correction for the left crosswind. During the rollout, the wind shifted, and the right wing rose. The pilot attempted to correct but when the wing came back down the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and the right main landing gear collapsed. He said that after the event the windsock showed a right crosswind and he believed that there was some windshear that resulted in the right wing raising during the event. The airplane received substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical issues with the airplane. The recorded weather at the airport where the accident occurred was from 020° at 3 knots, about the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.