Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Bonilla, South Dakota, October 10, 2025
On October 10, 2025 at about 11:45 pm local time, a 1976 Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N53853, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Bonilla, South Dakota (Na airport). It was a personal 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 pilot’s inadequate flight planning and his failure to maintain aircraft control during the precautionary off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2025 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bonilla, South Dakota · Na · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC, built 1976 · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N53853 · registry record · serial 908-76
- 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 personal flight when he realized that he would not be able to return to his private airstrip before sunset. The pilot decided to make a precautionary landing in a harvested soybean field. The pilot stated that the selected field was hillier than it appeared from altitude, and the airplane bounced upon touchdown, the propeller struck the ground, and during the sudden deceleration the airplane nosed over in the field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, vertical stabilizer, and the rudder. The pilot did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (landing roll)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › (general) › Decision related to condition
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 352.8 hours in all; 145.6 in this make and model; 9.1 in the last 90 days; 4.9 in the last 30 days; 352.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 28, 2020
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,507 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 1,355 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Tulare SD at 10:45 pm
- Destination: PVT Tulare SD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from HON, 15 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KHON 102255Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 21/02 A3019 RMK AO2 SLP227 T02060022=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 N53853 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 CEN26LA019.