Bellanca 7ECA accident near Henderson, Texas, February 17, 1982
On February 17, 1982 at about 7:35 pm local time, a Bellanca 7ECA, registered N53769, was substantially damaged in an accident near Henderson, Texas (Rusk County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1982 · about 7:35 pm local time
- Place
- Henderson, Texas · Rusk County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N53769 · registry record · serial 111375
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER REDUCING POWER TO IDLE, GLIDING FOR SOME DISTANCE, AND THEN APPLYING CARBURETOR HEAT HE REALIZED THAT ADDITIONAL POWER WOULD BE NEEDED TO REACH THE RUNWAY. POWER WAS ADDED WITH NO RESULTS AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS SET DOWN IN A ROUGH FIELD APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE SHORT OF THE AIRFIELD. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THE ENGINE DEVELOPED CARBURETOR ICE BEFORE HE APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT. OTHER PILOTS FLYING IN THE GENERAL AREA STATED THAT THEY HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING CARBURETOR ICING DURING THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT.
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: 1,354 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 1,286 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 349 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F12 Kilgore TX at 1:15 pm
- Destination: 4TX6 Henderson TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 113°F (45°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.