# NTSB WPR10LA406: Bellanca 7GCBC, N5034K, Douglas, WY, August 16, 2010 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: August 16, 2010, 07:05 local (13:05 UTC) - Place: Douglas, WY - Coordinates: 42.636112, -105.293609 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.6361&lon=-105.2936&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 2 serious - Status: Completed, report April 7, 2011 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Casper FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 76979 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR10LA406 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/76979/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76979 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR10LA406 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the terrain while maneuvering during an aerial observation flight. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCBC, 11 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md?model=1220601), [All aircraft, 1,310 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md) - [Aircraft capability: maximum weight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01061035): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Capability exceeded; cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCBC, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01061035/cases.md?model=1220601), [All aircraft, 152 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01061035/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220) (defining event); cases with it: [Bellanca 7GCBC, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220/sequence.md?model=1220601), [All aircraft, 780 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220/sequence.md) ## Analysis During an aerial wildlife observation flight, the wildlife biologist requested that the pilot maneuver the airplane at a lower altitude over a specific location. While in a descending turn, the pilot intentionally entered a left-wing-low slip in an effort to increase the rate of descent. At the end of the turn, the airplane's rate of descent increased significantly, and the pilot was unable to level the wings prior to the left wing impacting terrain. A postaccident examination revealed that there was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On August 16, 2010, about 0705 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, N5034K, impacted the terrain about 10 miles south of Douglas, Wyoming. The commercial pilot and his passenger received serious injuries, and the airplane, which was owned and operated by Laird Flying Service, sustained substantial damage. The local 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 wildlife observation flight, which departed Douglas, Wyoming, about 13 minutes prior to the accident, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who interviewed both the pilot and the passenger, the pilot was maneuvering about 300 feet above ground level (agl) in order for the passenger, a wildlife biologist, to count the number of antelope in a field. Because the passenger needed to get lower in order to more easily make a determination of the age and sex of the antelope, he asked the pilot to descend lower and to make another pass over the field. The pilot then initiated a series of turns, and while still in a turn, began to slip the airplane with the left wing low in an attempt to lose altitude. Near the end of this sequence, the descent rate of the airplane increased significantly, and before the pilot could level the wings and arrest the descent, the airplane's left wing contacted the terrain. After the wing contacted the terrain, the airplane bounced back up into the air, came down almost directly on its nose, and then cartwheeled over. As part of the investigation, the FAA inspector who interviewed the occupants calculated the weight of the airplane at the time of the accident. That calculation determined that at the time of the accident sequence, the airplane was about 239 pounds over Maximum Allowable Gross Weight. An inspection of the airplane's flight control system by the FAA inspector did not find any evidence of flight control anomalies, and according to both the passenger and the pilot, there were no unusual engine noises prior to or during the accident sequence. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5034K](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5034K), registered now, S/N 1073-79, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BELLANCA 7GCBC - Registry model: [Bellanca 7GCBC](https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-7gcbc) (registry code 1220601) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1073-79 - Airframe hours: 1842 - Engines: LYCOMING O-320 SERIES 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial observation, Part 91 - Operator: Laird Flying Service Inc. - Registered owner: Robert D Laird - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 22, 2010 - Departed: KDGW, Douglas, WY - Destination: KDGW, Douglas, WY ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 56; injuries: serious; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review August 3, 2010; seat: front; flight hours: 2,000 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 300° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 55 °F, dew point 46 °F ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20100816044419A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100816044419A), Aug 16, 2010: Bellanca 7GCBC, Douglas, WY, Destroyed. On August 16th 2010 at approximately 06:45 MDT, a Bellanca 7GCBC, N5034K, impacted the terrain about 10 miles south of Douglas, WY.the aircraft sustained… ## Other investigations on N5034K (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB NYC79FNC25](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC79FNC25), Apr 28, 1979: Bellanca 7GCBC (N5034K), St.Albans, VT, substantial damage ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 3, 2010, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=76979. 512 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 424 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40338516&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Record of Conversation (item 2, .PDF, 45 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40339110&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversation-Master.PDF - Record of Conversation - Weight and Balance (item 3, .PDF, 44 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40339260&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Record%20of%20Conversation%20-%20Weight%20and%20Balance-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.