Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Yakutat, Alaska, May 13, 2002
On May 13, 2002 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N3JK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Yakutat, Alaska (Tanis Mesa airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The collapse of the left main landing gear during the landing roll due to a fractured main gear leg strut.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 2002 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Yakutat, Alaska · Tanis Mesa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N3JK · registry record · serial 941-76
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/airplane owner was landing his tailwheel airplane equipped with over-sized tires on a turf runway. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. An aviation mechanic who repaired the airplane said the main landing gear leg strut had fractured at what he believed was a pre-existing crack. The pilot stated in a telephone interview with the NTSB investigator that he was unaware of any preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,500 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 10,400 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 2, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
No details recorded.
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,744 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2002; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YAK Yakutat AK at 1:10 pm
- Destination: Yakutat AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 1,900 ft by 15 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N3JK the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.