Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Batesville, Arkansas, January 12, 2025
On January 12, 2025 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 1974 Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N8569V, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Batesville, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from powerlines while flying at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2025 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Batesville, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC, built 1974 · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N8569V · registry record · serial 795-75
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a local flight when the airplane struck and became entangled in a high-tension power line, leaving the airplane suspended nose-down about 130 ft above the ground. The pilot of a second airplane that was flying behind and higher than the accident airplane witnessed the collision, and his passenger called 911 to report it. After landing at a nearby airport, the second pilot and his passenger went to the accident site, where the accident pilot remained inside the suspended airplane awaiting rescue. He stated that he heard the accident pilot say that he did not see the power lines until it was too late due to the snowy background. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal operation. The sectional chart current at the time of the accident depicted the location of the power lines. The accident pilot sustained fatal injuries when attempting to egress the suspended airplane using harness and rope provided by persons on the ground. Toxicology results indicated that the accident pilot had used multiple sedating medications. Such medications have the potential to cause cognitive and psychomotor impairment, especially when combined. However, no detailed determination about impairment during the accident flight or subsequent rescue effort can be made from the reviewed toxicology results alone. Further, considering that the detected medications all may be used to treat insomnia, whether the pilot was experiencing the impairing effects of disordered sleep also is unknown.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,128 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBVX Batesville AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from KBVX, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 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 | Witness Statements | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Post Accident Events | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | Wreckage Examination | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Pilot Flight Experience | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Airplane Maintenance Records | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 8 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
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 CEN25LA075.