Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Longmont, Colorado, September 30, 2005
On September 30, 2005 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N113AW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Longmont, Colorado (Vance Brand airport). It was an instructional 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 failure of the left rudder cable resulting in a loss of directional control by the pilot. Contributing to the accident was the improper repair procedures on the seat frame.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 2005 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · Vance Brand · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N113AW · registry record · serial 888-76
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, during the landing roll the student attempted to correct the airplane from drifting to the right by applying left rudder. The rudder input was unresponsive and the airplane continued to drift to the right and departed the runway. The airplane looped to the right and came to rest on the right side of runway, causing substantial damage. Examination of the airplane revealed the left rudder cable failed. Detailed optical examination of the fractured individual wire ends and strands adjacent to the fracture revealed significant wear damage. Examination of the left side of the fuselage at the cable separation point revealed wear marks on the upper, outboard seatback support bar. The seat was removed from the airplane revealing the seat frame had been repaired on the left side. The weld extended the seatback support bar down and aft, preventing it from lining up with the lower seat support bar. This extension entered the travel path of the left rudder cable. An examination of the remaining airplane systems revealed no anomalies.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 26,186 hours in all; 298 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 17,100 as pilot in command; 9,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 235 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 180 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,888 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 1, 2005; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A213 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2V2 Longmont CO at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 2V2 Longmont CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from FNL, 19 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N113AW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bellanca 7 Citabria 1,227 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bellanca 2,699 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A213 27,304 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,485 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN05LA150.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.