- Date
- May 1, 2024, 11:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Watervliet, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8618VBellanca 7ECA
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration: FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240501004529A
- Case key
- 194207
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 control during the landing roll on a soft turf runway.
Findings · 4
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 reported that while landing on a turf runway in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, the main landing gear encountered soft terrain upon touchdown. The airplane rapidly decelerated and the tail rose. The pilot applied full aft pressure on the control stick but was unable to regain control before the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. During the nose over the airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and right wing strut. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8618V
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1084-75
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 3,720
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 27, 2023 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- MGC · Michigan City, IN
- Destination
- 40C · Watervilet, MI
- Airport
- 40C · Watervliet Municipal Airport, runway 20, 2,600 × 200 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 63
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 19, 2023
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,723 total · 412 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 16 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Icing
- Unknown
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KBEH, 9 nm away
- METAR
- KBEH 011553Z AUTO 25016G24KT 10SM CLR 22/15 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP109 T02170150
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 28, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.3 MB 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.