Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Akiak, Alaska, August 11, 2002
On August 11, 2002 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N1163E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Akiak, Alaska. It was a personal 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 unsuitable and soft terrain in the area of a precautionary landing, which resulted in a nose over. Contributing factors in the accident were a false indication of smoke in the airplane during cruise flight, and weather conditions consisting of haze/smoke in the area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2002 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Akiak, Alaska · 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
- N1163E · registry record · serial 987-77
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in cruise flight about 500 feet above the ground with the private pilot/owner in the front seat, and his flight instructor in the rear seat. According to the pilot, the flight instructor was a passenger on the accident flight, not performing any instructional duties. The rear passenger said that he smelled smoke. The pilot said he thought the smell was from wood smoke in the area, and he entered an orbit while reviewing the airplane's checklist. The passenger again said, "we've got smoke back here, coming from the floorboards." The pilot asked the passenger if he was sure. The passenger replied, "we've got smoke." The pilot performed a precautionary landing in an area of tundra. During the landing roll, the tires of the airplane dug into the soft ground, and the airplane nosed over. No evidence of fire was discovered. According to the pilot, his total flight time was 105 hours, with 24 hours as pilot-in-command. The pilot had accrued 15 hours in the accident airplane make and model, with 5 hours as pilot-in-command.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 105 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 24 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 9, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 2001; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PABE Akiak AK at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.61 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PABE, 25 miles away
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 N1163E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC02LA102.