- Date
- October 20, 1991, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Morristown, TN
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3770Bellanca 8JCAB
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 8541
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's failure to maintain a proper altitude during a low pass. A factor in this accident was the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability.
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
The commercial pilot had flown around the local area for about 15 minutes,and returned to the airport to perform a'fly-by' pass of the runway. During the pass, which was at about 100 feet AGL, 'some downdraft, turbulence or loss of lift was encountered.' The right wing and the right main gear contacted the ground. The pilot maintained control of the airplane and flew around for a normal landing. Post-accident inspection revealed that the right front and rear wing spars were broken. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the airplane. He stated that there were people at the airstrip watching his fly-by pass. When asked if he was 'buzzing' the airstrip, he replied 'yes'.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3770
- Reported as
- Bellanca 8JCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- W04-75
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-320-E1B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- East Tennessee Pilot Club
- Registered owner
- East Tennessee Pilot Club
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Airport
- NONE · Cooper Farms, runway 9, 2,000 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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
- 29
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,823 total · 45 in this make and model · 1,787 as pilot in command · 168 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 7 knots, gusting 9
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F