Bellanca 7KCAB accident near Bluff Dale, Texas, April 4, 2024
On April 4, 2024 at about 3:11 am local time, a 1973 Bellanca 7KCAB, registered N8946, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Bluff Dale, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An engine compartment fire for reasons that could not be determined due to extensive thermal damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2024 · about 3:11 am local time
- Place
- Bluff Dale, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7KCAB, built 1973 · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N8946 · registry record · serial 407-74
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while enroute at 5,500 ft on a night cross-country flight, flames started coming out of the oil access door on the airplane’s cowling. The pilot executed an emergency landing and exited the airplane without further incident or injury. The fire continued to burn, and the airplane was destroyed. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine confirmed evidence of a fire in the engine compartment but its source could not be identified due to extensive thermal damage. The reason for the fire could not be determined.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 347.3 hours in all; 121.3 in this make and model; 37.5 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 293.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 6, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,098 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 2,098 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BWD Brownwood TX at 2:30 am
- Destination: GDJ Granbury TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from KSEP, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSEP 040315Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 16/04 A2999 RMK AO2 T01570041=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on March 4, 2026. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Scene Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Aircraft Examination | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Maintenance Record Excerpt | 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.
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.