- Date
- May 21, 2020, 19:12 local (May 22, 2020, 00:12 UTC)
- Place
- Rainbow City, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N68555Bellanca 8KCAB
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200521007429A
- Case key
- 101320
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 partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.
Findings · 2
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
According to the pilot, during the flight back to the departure airport after practicing aerobatic maneuvers, the engine started to "cut off and on." The pilot decided to make an emergency landing in a field. The airplane impacted trees, and the landing gear and both wings were buckled. The wreckage examination found that both fuel tanks were breached and absent of fuel. The airplane was recovered from the accident site, and an engine test run was conducted. Prior to the test run, all fuel lines leading to the fuel pumps and fuel servo were examined. The mechanical and electrical fuel pumps were checked, and no anomalies were noted. An external fuel tank was plumbed to the mechanical pump for the test run. The fuel-injected engine was started and run for 2 to 3 minutes at various rpms, and no anomalies were noted.
Factual narrative
On May 21, 2020, about 1912 central daylight time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, N68555, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Rainbow City, Alabama. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he was practicing aerobatic maneuvers and when finished, he headed back to the departure airport. During the flight back to the airport the engine started to "cut off and on." Although the engine continued to run, it got worse, and the pilot made the decision to make an emergency landing in a field. After touchdown the pilot was unable to stop the airplane in time to avoid an approaching tree line. The airplane impacted trees and came to a stop. The engine was still running after the impact, and the landing gear and both wings were buckled. The wreckage was examined at the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. Both fuel tanks were breached and absent of fuel. The airplane was recovered from the accident site for an engine test run attempt. Prior to the test run, all fuel lines leading to the fuel pumps and fuel servo were examined. All of the fuel lines contained trace amounts of fuel and no debris was observed within them. The mechanical and electrical fuel pumps were checked, and no anomalies were noted. An external fuel tank was plumbed to the mechanical pump for the test run. The fuel-injected engine was started and run for 2 to 3 minutes at various rpms; and no anomalies were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68555
- Reported as
- Bellanca 8KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-72
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 2,475
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E1A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 15, 2020
- Departed
- GAD · Gadsden, AL
- Destination
- GAD · Gadsden, AL
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 438 total · 65 in this make and model · 377 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- GAD, 6 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 1, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.9 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.