# NTSB CEN12LA304: Bellanca 7GCAA, N68543, El Dorado, KS, May 14, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 14, 2012, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC) - Place: El Dorado, KS - Coordinates: 37.77111, -96.817222 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.7711&lon=-96.8172&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report October 15, 2012 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 83661 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN12LA304 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/83661/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83661 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12LA304 ## Probable cause The pilot's loss of directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCAA, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=1220501), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCAA, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=1220501), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) (defining event); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCAA, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=1220501), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCAA, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md?model=1220501), [All aircraft, 3,643 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCAA, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=1220501), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that he made a full-stall landing on the runway with a left crosswind and lost directional control after landing. The airplane departed the right side of the runway and impacted a deep ditch. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations. ## Factual narrative On May 14, 2012, about 1630 central daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCAA, N68543, went off the right side of runway 15 and impacted a ditch at Captain Jack Thomas Airport (KEQA), El Dorado, Kansas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Benton (K1K1), Kansas, about 1545. The pilot said he was making a full-stall landing to the south with an east to west wind. Upon touchdown, he lost directional control and the airplane went off the right side of the runway and into a deep ditch. The right main landing gear separated from the airframe, and the right wing was damaged when it struck the embankment. The pilot reported no mechanical discrepancies with the airplane prior to the accident. His recommendation for preventing this accident was for him to receive additional training in the airplane and acquire more proficiency. Although he indicated he had logged 1,900 total hours and 600 hours in single-engine airplanes, he had only 1 hour in the Bellanca 7GCAA. An examination of the airplane and related systems revealed no anomalies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N68543](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N68543), registered now, S/N 247-72, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BELLANCA 7GCAA - Registry model: [Bellanca 7GCAA](https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-7gcaa) (registry code 1220501) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 247-72 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-A2B 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Troy A. Waltermath - Registered owner: Troy A. Waltermath - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Departed: K1K1, Benton, KS - Destination: KEQA, El Dorado, KS - Airport: KEQA, Capt. Jack Thomas/El Dorado, runway 15, 4,200 × 75 ft, concrete ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 55; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review December 10, 2010; seat: rear; flight hours: 1,900 total, 1 in this make and model, 1,900 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 6 knots - Visibility: 50 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20120514009609A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120514009609A), May 14, 2012: Bellanca 7GCAA, El Dorado, KS, Substantial damage. Airman was landing the aircraft in El Dorado, KS, on runway 15, lost control, then departed the west side of the runway and into a drainage ditch, shearing the… ## Docket (2 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 22, 2012, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=83661. 219 KB in all. - NTSB Form 6120 1-2, Pilot-Operator Aircraft Accident Report (item 1, .PDF, 169 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40374476&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=NTSB%20Form%206120%201-2,%20Pilot-Operator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 2, .PDF, 50 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40374811&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.