Bellanca 7ECA accident near Belle Plaine, Minnesota, July 15, 1996
On July 15, 1996 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7ECA, registered N5026K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belle Plaine, Minnesota (Belle Plaine airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's misjudgment of the distance and speed during the landing, and his delay in initiating a go-around. Factors relating to the accident were: the tall grass and ravine at the end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 1996 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Belle Plaine, Minnesota · Belle Plaine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N5026K · registry record · serial 1278-78
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was on downwind for landing on runway 35, when he noticed a two to three story house 'just off the end of the runway.' He shortened his downwind leg which 'caused a fairly high initial final approach.... This required a slip to the runway. Since excessive airspeed was built up, the aircraft continued to float.' He decided to go-around and applied full power; however, the landing gear impacted tall grass at the departure end of the runway, then a ravine.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 577 hours in all; 127 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 808 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 22, 1995; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D97 St Paul MN at 5:30 pm
- Destination: 7Y7
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,530 ft by 215 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.