# Accident 20250112000529A: Bellanca 7GCBC, Batesville, AR, January 12, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 12, 2025, 15:53 local time
- Place: Batesville, AR
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.8098° N, 91.6578° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.8098&lon=-91.6578&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8569V, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8569V) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Bellanca 7GCBC (registry code 1220601, https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-7gcbc) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELLANCA 7GCBC
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,500 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN25LA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA075) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250112000529A

## Narrative

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

THE AIRCRAFT INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT WAS ENGAGED IN A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES LOCATED FIVE MILES NORTH OF BATESVILLE, ARKANSAS. THIS AIRCRAFT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A SECOND AIRPLANE, WHICH WAS POSITIONED APPROXIMATELY A QUARTER MILE BEHIND AND ABOVE THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT. DURING THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT AND PASSENGER OF THE SECOND AIRCRAFT REMARKED, “WOW, HE IS REALLY LOW IN THE VALLEY.” ROUGHLY TEN SECONDS AFTER THIS OBSERVATION, THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE POWER LINES, RESULTING IN A DRAMATIC DISPLAY OF HIGH-VOLTAGE BLUE SPARKS AS IT BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE LINES SUSPENDED 137 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT, THE PILOT OF THE SECOND AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO BATESVILLE REGIONAL AIRPORT AND THEN TRAVELED BACK TO THE SCENE BY VEHICLE. UPON ARRIVAL, HE SPOKE WITH THE PILOT OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT, WHO EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN THE WIRES UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE, LARGELY DUE TO THE SNOWY BACKGROUND OBSCURING VISIBILITY. TRAGICALLY, DURING THE RESCUE EFFORTS, THE PILOT OF THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT FELL FROM HIS CLIMBING HARNESS AND SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE PILOT OF THE SECOND AIRCRAFT LATER REPORTED IN HIS WITNESS STATEMENT THAT NEITHER HE NOR HIS PASSENGER NOTICED ANY LOSS OF ENGINE POWER PRIOR TO THE COLLISION. THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) ARRIVED AT THE SCENE AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE POWER LINES, AND INVESTIGATORS CONFIRMED THE CONTINUITY OF FLIGHT CONTROLS AND THE PRESENCE OF ADEQUATE FUEL ON BOARD, FINDING NO INDICATIONS OF A POWER PLANT FAILURE. THE ACCIDENT CAUSE HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS CONTROLLED FLIGHT INTO TERRAIN (CFIT).

## 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 CEN25LA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA075), Jan 12, 2025: Bellanca 7GCBC (N8569V), Batesville, AR, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from powerlines while flying at low altitude.

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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