# Accident 19971012030569A: Bbavia 7ECA, Tracy, CA, October 12, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 12, 1997, 16:40 local time
- Place: Tracy, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.7296° N, 121.4204° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.7296&lon=-121.4204&mi=10
- Aircraft: N11860, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N11860-2013-07-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bellanca 7ECA (registry code 1220460, https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-7eca) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BBAVIA 7ECA
- Reported engine: LYC O235L2C
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 62 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98FA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98FA009) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971012030569A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT STRUCK POWER LINES AND CRASHED,PILOT SUFFERED FATAL, PASS HAD SERIOUS INJ, ACFT HAD SUBSTANTIAL DAM, TRACY,CA (FROM .4) THE PILOT TOOK OFF FROM A LOCAL AIRPORT ABOUT 40 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.  FAMILY MEMBERS ON THE GROUND WITNESSED THE AIRCRAFT FLYING OVER WIRES, WHICH WERE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE BEAN FIELD DURING PREVIOUS LOW PASSES.  THE SAME FAMILY MEMBERS NOTICED THE AIRPLANE FLYING FROM WEST TO EAST AND ATTEMPT TO FLY UNDER A POWER LINE, WHICH PARALLELED A ROAD.  THE WITNESSES INDICATED THAT THE RIGHT WING CLIPPED THE POWER LINE AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND AND CARTWHEELED ABOUT 100 YARDS EAST OF THE ROADWAY.  THE PILOT HAD OBTAINED HIS PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE APPROXIMATELY 7 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND HAD ACCUMULATED ABOUT 62 HOURS OF DOCUMENTED FLIGHT TIME.  A TOXICOLOGY EXAMINATION OF SAMPLES FROM THE PILOT YIELDED POSITIVE RESULTS FOR BROMPHENIRAMINE, PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE, AND EPHEDRINE.  BROMPHENIRAMINE COMMONLY RESULTS IN DROWSINESS AND HAS A MEASURABLE EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE OF COMPLEX COGNITIVE AND MOTOR TASKS. PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, EDHEDRINE, AND PHENYLPROPA NOLAMINE, AND EPHEDRINE. BROMPHENIRAMINE COMMONLY RESULTS IN DROWSINESS AND HAS A MEASURABLE EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE OF COMPLEX COGNITIVE AND MOTOR TASKS. PSEUDOEPHEDRINE, EDHEDRINE, AND PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE ALL USUALLY RESULT IN INCREASED LEVELS OF ALERTNESS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX98FA009](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98FA009), Oct 12, 1997: Bellanca 7ECA (N11860), Tracy, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's low operating altitude and his failure to maintain appropriate clearance during low level maneuvering flight. Contributing factors were transmission wires and the physical impairment that…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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