- Date
- April 4, 1989, 14:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Eklutna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N86836Bellanca 7GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19890404007959A
- Case key
- 5105
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot diverted his attention and failed to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
This private certificated pilot and his student pilot son were fatally injured when they crashed on a mountain side while presumably taking video movies of sheep. Three persons on the ground had seen the airplane circling near the sheep about three minutes before seeing the smoke from the wreckage. The father and son jointly operated a photography business. The father's last FAA medical certificate was dated 3-2-76. The airplane was using auto gas for which it had not been granted a STC.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86836
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 687-74
- Airframe hours
- 1,377
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Larry Hiser
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 29, 1988 · 79 hours before
- Departed
- Z15 · Chugiak, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 205 total · 32 in this make and model · 172 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.