Bellanca 7KCAB accident near Mckinney, Texas, August 23, 2003
On August 23, 2003 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB, registered N8730V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mckinney, Texas (Aero Country 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 pilot's failure to maintain airspeed resulting in an inadvertent stall during landing. A contributing factor was flaring too high.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2003 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mckinney, Texas · Aero Country · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7KCAB · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N8730V · registry record · serial 526-75
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that he was demonstrating a forward slip to a landing when he "flared too high," and the airplane "stalled and impacted the runway." Subsequently, the airplane nosed over, and slid 150 feet down the runway.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,057 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 4,950 as pilot in command; 600 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 7, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 499 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 399 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 12, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,808 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 2, 2003; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-320-E2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T31 Mckinney TX at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,305 ft by 40 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from TKI, 5 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.
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.