Bellanca 7ECA accident near Kingsland, Texas, August 7, 1988
On August 7, 1988 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Bellanca 7ECA, registered N57430, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kingsland, Texas (Sunrise Beach airport). It was an instructional 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
- August 7, 1988 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kingsland, Texas · Sunrise Beach · 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
- N57430 · registry record · serial 944-73
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE TAIL-DRAGGER TOUCHED DOWN ON THE LEFT GEAR, THEN THE RIGHT GEAR. THE PILOT APPLIED POWER FOR A GO-AROUND BUT HE SAID HE THEN CUT IT OFF BECAUSE HE WAS GOING TO BE GOING SO CLOSE TO THE HANGAR. THE AIRPLANE WENT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND EVENTUALLY COLLIDED WITH THREE AIRPLANES, AN ULTRALITE AND THE HANGAR THEY WERE HOUSED IN.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 18 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 13, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2KL at 3:07 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,300 ft by 130 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:51 am from AUS
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.
Other NTSB records under N57430 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.