- Date
- October 8, 1991, 18:25 local (22:25 UTC)
- Place
- Key West, FL
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4155YBellanca 7GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911008045429A
- Case key
- 32967
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin at an altitude that was too low for recovery. A factor related to the accident was: the pilot's failure to jettison the banner when the stall was encountered.
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
Witnesses observed the airplane engage & pick up the banner. The airplane was then observed at the top of its pickup maneuver, and the banner had just cleared the ground, when the plane banked to the right, stalled, & began a spin. Subsequently, the airplane crashed in a pond next to the runway. Witnesses stated the engine was running until impact. The banner bridle & safety link were found still attached to the airplane pickup hook.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4155Y
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 957-77
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Island Aeroplane Tours
- Registered owner
- Kane Furniture Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 1991
- Airport
- EYW · Key West Intl
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
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 600 total · 20 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EYW, 1 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.