- Date
- June 22, 1985, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ville Platte, LA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N53958Bellanca 7ECA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850622027419A
- Case key
- 21780
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
The plt had rented the acft for a local flt and was observed by ground witnesses to have flown very low (50 ft AGL) over miller lake when the left wing struck a tree. The acft continued for aprx 50 ft in a left wing low attitude before striking another tree, descending to the ground and bursting into flames.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N53958
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1151-76
- Airframe hours
- 458
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Byron L. Launey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 16, 1985 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- OPL · Opelousas, LA
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
- 22
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 430 total · 20 in this make and model · 290 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LFT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.