- Date
- March 18, 1987, 20:30 local (Mar 19, 1987, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Attica, IN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5504LBellanca 7ECA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870318006389A
- Case key
- 13635
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
After completing a cable patrol flt, the plt landed at sullivan, IN, to refuel before starting a night flt to reposition the acft at lafayette, IN. The plt departed in clear wx. However, as he was arriving at lafayette, he advised the tower controller that 'it looks like I got on top of a little cloud deck here.' The plt was advised the arpt wx was 1200' broken, 2600' overcast, visibility 7 mi with light rain. He requested a radar vector to the arpt. However, as the tower controller was coordinating with apch control to identify the acft's position, contact with the acft was lost. A search was initiated. The acft had crashed in a steep nose down, left wing low attitude. Drg the investigation, no preimpact mechanical problem was found. There was evidence the eng was providing power at impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5504L
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 78-1263
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harold L. Johnson
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 1987
- Departed
- SIV · Sullivan, IN
- Destination
- LAF · Lafayette, IN
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
- 21
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 560 total · 30 in this make and model · 395 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAF, 23 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.