- Date
- May 28, 1989, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Big Sur, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N31277Bellanca 7GCAA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 22, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890528012909A
- Case key
- 26418
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 elected to attempt a takeoff from a field that he had previously made a forced landing to and the airplane nosed over during the attempt. Contributing to the accident was the high grass that became entangled in the tailwheel and the soft downhill terrain.
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
During the take off roll on a freshly mowed open field, the tailwheel became entangled in the grass. The terrain was downsloping, and with the slow airspeed, the airplane nosed over. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident. The pilot had made a successful forced landing there on the previous day and had the owner of the property mow the grass in order to form an airstrip.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31277
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7GCAA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 251-72
- Airframe hours
- 1,700
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Solliday, Robert E. Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 4, 1988 · 120 hours before
- Destination
- MRY · Monterey, CA
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 395 total · 250 in this make and model · 323 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 12 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.