Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Fairbanks, AK
On December 7, 2016, a Bellanca 7GCBC (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, AK. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 7, 2016
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 64.542°N, 147.758°W
- NTSB ID
- 20161207X11223
Official records · ANC17FA009
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On December 7, 2016, about 1043 Alaska standard time, a tailwheel, ski-equipped Bellanca Citabria 7GCBC airplane, N88452, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain about 17 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a VFR flight plan was filed and activated. The local area flight departed Chena Marina Airport (AK28), Fairbanks, at 1026. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Fairbanks Flight Service Station records, the pilot filed a local flight plan for a 3-hour flight within a 50-mile area to the east, south and west of Fairbanks International Airport (FAI). The mechanic who had recently worked on the airplane stated that the purpose of the flight was to test the airplane's flight performance following the installation of vortex generators (VGs) on the wings and horizontal stabilizer. The airplane's engine ran rough after the first start, so the mechanic brought the airplane back into the hangar to warm up. He checked the fuel sumps for debris and found none. After warming, the airplane was pushed outside and operated normally after the second start. A review of archived FAA radio communication recordings revealed that the pilot called the FAI air traffic control tower before departure and was provided the current wind of 350° at 5 knots and the altimeter setting of 30.64 inches of
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to operate the airplane at an altitude too low to allow for recovery from an intentional aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of knowledge of the stall performance characteristics of the airplane modified with vortex generators due to the lack of information from the manufacturer.
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Browse: Alaska · 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.
