- Date
- June 29, 2025, 21:00 local (Jun 30, 2025, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Helena, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N50476Bellanca 7GCBC
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of visual reference
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250629007459A
- Case key
- 200427
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’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the flare to a landing on the runway, the sun was directly in his eyes. The pilot unintentionally maneuvered the airplane sideways to the runway. The airplane ground looped, and nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations
Aircraft
- Registration
- N50476
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1137-79
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 2,933
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 19, 2025 · 20 hours before
- Airport
- HLN · Helena Regional Airport, runway 27, 9,000 × 150 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 725 total · 54 in this make and model · 582 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 30° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- KHLN
- METAR
- METAR KHLN 291453Z 03005KT 10SM CLR 17/06 A3023 RMK AO2 SLP225 T01670056 50003=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N50476 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.