Bellanca 7-GCAA accident near Chester, South Carolina, April 19, 1986
On April 19, 1986 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 7-GCAA, registered N9030L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chester, South Carolina (Chester Municipal airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 1986 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chester, South Carolina · Chester Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7-GCAA · all 7-GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N9030L · registry record · serial 216-70
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT WAS BEING REPOSITIONED ON AIRPORT FOR GLIDER TOW. TOW ROPE WAS ATTACHED AND PILOT CONCENTRATED HIS ATTENTION ON AVOIDING ENTANGLING TOW ROPE ON RUNWAY LIGHTS. WHEN PILOT NOTICED THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOO LOW HE ATTEMPTED A GO-AROUND WITH INSUFFICIENT ALTITUDE WHICH RESULTED IN DRAGGING THE WING TIP. AIRCRAFT CARTWHEELED AND NOSED OVER.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,520 hours in all; 918 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 3,360 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 7, 1985; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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 ATL86LA117.