- Date
- July 16, 2011, 11:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Greeley, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N731JDBellanca 8KCAB
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110716015969A
- Case key
- 81157
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 loss of directional control during landing, resulting in a runway excursion.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was practicing takeoffs and landings, and during the last landing, the airplane encountered a gust of wind. The tailwheel-equipped airplane veered to the right and the pilot's efforts to correct the veer were unsuccessful, resulting in the airplane exiting the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted a ditch and sustained substantial damage to the engine firewall and fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was practicing takeoff and landings,and that during the last landing, the airplane encountered a gust of wind. The tail-wheel equipped airplane then veered right and the pilot's efforts to correct the veer were unsuccessful, resulting in the airplane departing the runway surface. The airplane subsequently impacted a ditch, sustaining substantial damage to the engine firewall and fuselage. The pilot added that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N731JD
- Reported as
- Bellanca 8KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 340-77
- Airframe hours
- 1,291
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richardson Companies Inc.
- Registered owner
- Richardson Companies Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 22, 2011
- Departed
- KGXY · Greeley, CO
- Destination
- KGXY · Greeley, CO
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KGXY · Greeley-Weld County Airport, runway 09, 5,800 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 23, 2011
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,286 total · 8 in this make and model · 19 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KGXY
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 31, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 706 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.