- Date
- July 12, 1989, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Berlin, MD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N57417Bellanca 7KCAB
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890712022179A
- Case key
- 11462
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
Pilot failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the low altitude at which the stall occurred.
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 plt was attempting to pickup a banner, but missed it for the second time. Witnesses said that immediately after the second miss, the acft began climbing and turned left with a bank angle that increased to 90 degrees. Witnesses reported the acft was about 80 ft AGL, when it stalled and collided with a power line. Examination of the acft did not disclose evidence of mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N57417
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 373-73
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ocean Aerial Ads Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1989
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
- 23
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 350 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBY, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.