Bellanca 7KCAB accident near Oakridge, OR
On September 18, 1997, a Bellanca 7KCAB (airplane) was involved in an accident near Oakridge, OR. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 18, 1997
- Place
- Oakridge, OR
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7KCAB · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.740°N, 122.410°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08935
NTSB summary
On September 18, 1997, about 1620 Pacific daylight time, N8509, a Bellanca 7KCAB airplane, operated by the owner/pilot, impacted trees while maneuvering and was destroyed near Oakridge, Oregon. The commercial pilot in the rear seat (first pilot) and the private pilot in the front seat (second pilot) were killed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight departed from Eugene, Oregon, at 1524 and was conducted under 14 CFR 91. The first pilot owned and operated an aviation business based at the Mahlon Sweet Field in Eugene known as Aerial Communications of America (ACA). According to a part-time employee of ACA (interview synopsis attached), the first pilot came into the ACA office on the day of the accident and invited her to go flying with him. The employee declined the invitation, because she was studying FAA written test questions. The first pilot then asked the second pilot to go flying with him. The second pilot was working behind the ACA desk at the time, but was due to get off of her shift at 1500. The second pilot accepted the offer and went flying with the first pilot on the accident flight, according to the employee. The employee also stated that she did not observe the first pilot make any negative comments about himself or the airplane at the time of this interaction. She also stated that the second pilot had been working for ACA for about 3 days prior to the accident, and had never flown with the first pilot before the accident. According to an eyewitness (interview synopsis attached) who was walking along
Probable cause
The first pilot's decision to perform a low altitude maneuver, and his subsequent failure to maintain altitude and clearance from trees during a low altitude maneuver.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
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- Piper PA 46-310P, Apr 7, 2017
- Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012
Browse: Oregon · Bellanca aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
