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20260929013129I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Bellanca 7ACA · Strasburg, OH · September 29, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 29, 2026 · 18:20 local
Place
Strasburg, OH
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N68538
Reported as
Bellanca 7ACA
Reported engine
Franklin 2A-120A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,692 total
N68538Registered now · Bellanca 7ACAS/N 60-72 · Built 1972Airframe modelBellanca 7ACAEngine modelFranklin 2A4 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On 09-29-2026 privacy data omitted departed 2D7 on a local training flight. The instructor was seated in the back seat and the student was seated in the front seat. Preflight weather was obtained through foreflight and lesson briefing was accomplished. The starting procedure was to hand prop the airplane since there is no electrical starting system. Staring and subsequent runup was performed. With no anomalies noted. Takeoff was to the east and at approximately 250 feet AGL the engine lost power with the student at the controls. The student quickly lowered the nose and the instructor called out "my airplane" and took control. At that point the instructor picked a emergency landing area which was located to the right of the flight path. The instructor maintained positive control of the aircraft until touch down in the standing cornfield. The airplane touched down with wings level and nose high attitude in the flare. Aircraft sustained minor damage and the event was classified as an incident. Aircraft was dismantled and removed from the cornfield. There were no injuries to the instructor and student

As the FAA filed it

ON 09-29-2026 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED 2D7 ON A LOCAL TRAINING FLIGHT. THE INSTRUCTOR WAS SEATED IN THE BACK SEAT AND THE STUDENT WAS SEATED IN THE FRONT SEAT. PREFLIGHT WEATHER WAS OBTAINED THROUGH FOREFLIGHT AND LESSON BRIEFING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE STARTING PROCEDURE WAS TO HAND PROP THE AIRPLANE SINCE THERE IS NO ELECTRICAL STARTING SYSTEM. STARING AND SUBSEQUENT RUNUP WAS PERFORMED. WITH NO ANOMALIES NOTED. TAKEOFF WAS TO THE EAST AND AT APPROXIMATELY 250 FEET AGL THE ENGINE LOST POWER WITH THE STUDENT AT THE CONTROLS. THE STUDENT QUICKLY LOWERED THE NOSE AND THE INSTRUCTOR CALLED OUT "MY AIRPLANE" AND TOOK CONTROL. AT THAT POINT THE INSTRUCTOR PICKED A EMERGENCY LANDING AREA WHICH WAS LOCATED TO THE RIGHT OF THE FLIGHT PATH. THE INSTRUCTOR MAINTAINED POSITIVE CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT UNTIL TOUCH DOWN IN THE STANDING CORNFIELD. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN WITH WINGS LEVEL AND NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE IN THE FLARE. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND THE EVENT WAS CLASSIFIED AS AN INCIDENT. AIRCRAFT WAS DISMANTLED AND REMOVED FROM THE CORNFIELD. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT