Bellanca 7EAC accident near Alexandria, Minnesota, August 24, 1994
On August 24, 1994 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Bellanca 7EAC, registered N2872Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alexandria, Minnesota (Alexandria Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The second pilot's failure to remove carburetor heat during the takeoff phase resulting in a loss of power and inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 1994 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Alexandria, Minnesota · Alexandria Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7EAC · all 7EACs on the register
- Registration
- N2872Z · no longer on the register · serial 1238-78
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot, seated in the front, reported he was practicing touch and go landings, and immediately after takeoff noticed that the airplane did not have the normal amount of lift. He then realized the carburetor heat was still on, and immediately shut it off. While trying to gain altitude, the airplane stalled. The pilot-in-command, seated in the back, took control of the airplane and corrected the stall attitude, but was unable to obtain sufficient airspeed. The airplane impacted the ground and came to rest inverted.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,808 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 5,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,173 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 1994; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alexandria Aero Partners
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,801 ft by 209 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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.