Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Midlothian, Texas, April 8, 2016
On April 8, 2016 at about 8:02 pm local time, a 1979 Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N5046N, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Midlothian, Texas (Mid-Way Rgnl airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's inability to move the control stick after takeoff for undetermined reasons, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and inadvertent aerodynamic stall. The reason for the inability to move the control stick could not be determined, because postaccident examination revealed no evidence of flight control malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2016 · about 8:02 pm local time · cases in 2016
- Place
- Midlothian, Texas · Mid-Way Rgnl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC, built 1979 · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N5046N · no longer on the register · serial 1132-79
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was demonstrating a takeoff to the student pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. During the takeoff, the instructor was flying the airplane and was seated in the rear seat, with the student pilot observing and following along on the flight controls in the front seat. The instructor stated that, as the airplane lifted off the runway, he could not move the control stick. The airplane continued to climb in an increasingly nose-high pitch attitude, and the instructor stated that his efforts to apply forward pressure on the control stick had "no effect." The airplane subsequently experienced an aerodynamic stall and impacted the ground. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, and examination of the flight controls found no evidence of interference. While the flight instructor expected the student pilot to follow along on the control stick, it could not be determined if the student interfered with the movement of the controls. With the instructor unable to move the elevator control and reduce the nose-high pitch attitude of the airplane, the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack and experienced an aerodynamic stall.
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
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,670 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 8.8 in the last 90 days; 0.8 in the last 30 days; 1,610 as pilot in command; 795 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 25, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,620 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Big Q Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: JWY Midlothian TX at 8:02 pm
- Destination: JWY Midlothian TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 6,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from KJWY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on May 24, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Summary of Findings | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Statements | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Maps | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Weather Summary | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Security Camera Video (Stop-action Screen Shots) | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 8 | USAF Afrcc E-mail (No Reports of an ELT Signal) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological - Student Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N5046N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5046N: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Bellanca 7 Citabria 1,227 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bellanca 2,699 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B 179 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mid-Way Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,966 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N5046N 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN16FA145.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.