- Date
- October 30, 2003, 11:20 local (16:20 UTC)
- Place
- Ocala, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5519KBellanca 8KCAB
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Orlando FSDO - 15
- FAA report
- 20031030037549A
- Case key
- 58270
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 failure of the dual student to maintain airspeed (VS) and the CFI's improper supervision while turning to reverse direction resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin and collision with trees and the ground during the resultant uncontrolled descent.
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 certified flight instructor (CFI) stated that he was instructing the student in a maneuver that called for a return to the departing runway after an engine failure. The CFI stated that he closed the throttle on the student as they crossed the departure end of runway 36, about 700 feet above the ground. The student started a left hand turn back to the runway at a bank angle of about 60 degrees, in order to make the runway. At some point during the turn the student applied an excessive rudder input, stalling and causing the aircraft to enter a spin. The CFI took the controls and recovered the airplane. During the recovery, the airplane struck an 8-inch diameter oak tree. The FAA inspector who responded to the accident stated that there was insufficient distance for the airplane to clear the oak tree grove from the altitude at which the CFI recovered. The aircraft struck the tree in a climbing attitude causing the fuselage to break and bend the left landing gear. The airplane rotated counterclockwise as it fell tail first through the remaining trees before impacting the ground tail first, which it then fell over coming to rest on its back. The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
On October 30, 2003, about 1120 eastern standard time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, N5519K, registered to and operated by Rocky Top Aero Inc., impacted a tree while on approach to the Leeward Air Ranch, Ocala, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the Title14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The commercial-rated pilot/certified flight instructor (CFI) reported minor injuries and the private-rated pilot/student reported no injuries, and the aircraft incurred substantial damage. The flight had originated about 20 minutes earlier from the same airport.
The CFI stated that he was instructing the student in a maneuver that called for a return to the departing runway after an engine failure. The CFI stated that he closed the throttle on the student as they crossed the departure end of runway 36, about 700 feet above the ground. The student started a left hand turn back to the runway at a bank angle of about 60 degrees, in order to make the runway. At some point during the turn the student applied an excessive rudder input, stalling and causing the aircraft to enter a spin. The CFI took the controls and recovered the airplane. During the recovery, the airplane struck an 8-inch diameter oak tree.
The FAA inspector who responded to the accident stated that there was insufficient distance for the airplane to clear the oak tree grove from the altitude at which the CFI recovered. The aircraft struck the tree in a climbing attitude causing the fuselage to break and bend the left landing gear. The airplane rotated counterclockwise as it fell tail first through the remaining trees before impacting the ground tail first, which it then fell over coming to rest on its back.
The pilot stated there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions to the airplane or any of its systems prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5519K
- Reported as
- Bellanca 8KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 384-78
- Airframe hours
- 75
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO 320 E1B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Rocky Top Aero Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 19, 2003 · 75 hours before
- Departed
- FD04 · Ocala/Belleview, FL
- Destination
- Ocala, FL
- Airport
- FD04 · Leeward Airranch, runway 36, 6,250 × 175 ft, grass/turf
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 17, 2003
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 30,804 total · 1,000 in this make and model
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 120 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- FD04
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.