- Date
- December 8, 1993, 16:20 local (Dec 9, 1993, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Paula, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N57404Bellanca 7ECA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19931208046749A
- Case key
- 28619
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
A failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the tailwheel airplane following touchdown. The pilot's lack of total experience in the type of airplane was a factor in the accident.
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 pilot had received instruction in tailwheel airplanes and was completing his first solo landing without an INSTRUCT0R in the airplane. Following touchdown, the pilot reported that his poor rudder control led to the airplane veering off the left side of the runway. The left wing of the airplane struck the airport's tetrahedron, damaging the spar. The pilot had received 7 hours of instruction in the airplane, 1 of which was pilot-in-command.
Factual narrative
On December 8, 1993, about 1620 hours Pacific standard time, a Bellanca 7ECA, N57404, crashed during landing at Santa Paula airport, Santa Paula, California. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, operated by CP Aviation, Santa Paula, received substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from Santa Paula about 1530 hours.
The pilot reported he was landing a high wing, tail wheel airplane on runway 22. The pilot had received instruction in tail wheel airplanes and the landing was the first conducted without an instructor in the airplane. Following touchdown, the pilot indicated, poor rudder control led to the airplane veering off the left side of the runway. The left wing of the airplane struck the airport's tetrahedron, damaging the spar.
The pilot holds a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. The most recent third-class medical certificate was issued to the pilot on April 27, 1993, and contained no limitations.
According to the pilot/operator report submitted by the pilot, his total aeronautical experience consists of about 120 hours, of which 7 hours were accrued in the accident airplane. The pilot had accrued 1 hour of pilot-in-command flight time in the accident airplane.
The closest official weather observation station is Camarillo, California, which is located 8 nautical miles south of the accident site. At 1550 hours, a surface observation was reporting in part:
Sky condition and ceiling, clear; visibility, 40 miles; temperature, 62 degrees F; dew point, 49 degrees F; wind, 250 degrees at 10 knots; altimeter, 30.07 inHg.
Santa Paula Airport is equipped with one hard surfaced runway on a 040-to 220-degree magnetic orientation. Runway 22 is 2,650 feet long by 40 feet wide.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N57404
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 940-73
- Airframe hours
- 3,879
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Clay Phelps, doing business as Cp Aviation
- Registered owner
- Clay Phelps
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 16, 1993 · 32 hours before
- Airport
- SZP · Santa Paula, runway 22, 2,650 × 40 ft, asphalt
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 120 total · 7 in this make and model · 120 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CMA, 8 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.