Bellanca 7ACA accident near No. Little Rock, Arkansas, October 24, 1999
On October 24, 1999 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Bellanca 7ACA, registered N138MB, was substantially damaged in an accident near No. Little Rock, Arkansas (North Little Rock Muni. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff. A factor was the partial loss of engine power for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 1999 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- No. Little Rock, Arkansas · North Little Rock Muni. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7ACA · all 7ACAs on the register
- Registration
- N138MB · registry record · serial 56-72
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 179-hour private pilot delayed aborting the takeoff from a 3,009 foot runway after she noticed that the takeoff roll seemed longer than usual. The airplane became airborne at 50 mph and climbed to approximately 50 feet agl. The pilot became aware that something was not right and lowered the nose of the airplane to attempt to increase the airspeed to 60 mph. By the time 60 mph was attained, the airplane was too far down the runway to abort the takeoff. The pilot elected to turn left and attempt to return to the runway. During the turn, the right wing of the airplane impacted a gully at the departure end of the runway. The pilot stated that the engine was still running when the airplane contacted the ground. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined.
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: 179 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 112 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 928 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 1999; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Barrett Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 1M1 at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,007 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from LIT, 7 miles away
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.
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 FTW00LA016.