Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Watertown, SD
On May 29, 2010, a Bellanca 7GCBC (airplane) was involved in an accident near Watertown, SD. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 29, 2010
- Place
- Watertown, SD
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.914°N, 97.155°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100601X11703
Official records · CEN10LA275
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 29, 2010, at 1331 central daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, N88399, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with terrain within 1/2 mile of the Watertown Regional Airport (ATY), Watertown, South Dakota. The flight was being conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The local flight departed a private airstrip near Castlewood, South Dakota. The time of departure was not determined. Witnesses at ATY observed the accident airplane in flight. One witness reported that he initially thought the pilot was inbound for landing. However, the airplane proceeded southwest of the airport and began “making erratic banks and turns.” He estimated that the airplane’s bank angles reached “80 to 90 degrees” at times. He stated that right before the accident, the pilot appeared to be “trying a turn like a spray pilot would make.” He noted that the airplane “went up and turned to the right and [it] went straight into the ground.” A second witness at ATY reported the airplane was “making extremely erratic maneuvers” about 300 – 500 feet above ground level (agl). The airplane impacted an open field southwest of ATY between the airport perimeter fence and the intersection of 33rd Street and Golf Course Road. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating issued on August 24, 2009. He was issued a third-class airman medical certificate with a restrict
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of airplane control while conducting aerobatic, low-altitude maneuvers. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairmant due to alcohol.
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Browse: South Dakota · 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.
