Bellanca 7GCAA accident near Titonka, Iowa, August 8, 1999
On August 8, 1999 at about 6:05 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCAA, registered N5033G, was destroyed in an accident near Titonka, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The low altitude maneuver attempted and altitude/clearance not being maintained by the pilot, which resulted in an impact with a pine tree. A factor to the accident was the pine tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1999 · about 6:05 pm local time
- Place
- Titonka, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N5033G · no longer on the register · serial 368-78
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot attempted a low-level pass over a relative's residence and impacted a pine tree that was located in the front yard. The right elevator, right stabilizer, right wing struts, and right wing separated from the fuselage during and subsequent to the collision with the pine tree. No anomalies were found with the airplane or its engine.
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: 150 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,475 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 1998; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AXA Algona IA
- Destination: OWA Owatonna IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MCW, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.