Bellanca 7ECA accident near Mccarthy, Alaska, August 6, 1983
On August 6, 1983 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7ECA, registered N5052E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mccarthy, Alaska (Mccarthy airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1983 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mccarthy, Alaska · Mccarthy
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N5052E · no longer on the register · serial 1316-79
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED BY ANOTHER PILOT TO FLY INTO A BOX CANYON. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE ACFT THEN ATMPTD WHAT LOOKED LIKE A CHANDELLE TO REVERSE DIRECTION BUT STALLED AND CAME TO REST ON THE SIDE OF THE CANYON WALL.
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
- Flight time: 71 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 42 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 140 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 20, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-K2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ft. Richarson Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: GKN Glennallen AK at 12:01 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 28.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:57 pm from GKN, 22 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 N5052E 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.