Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Mcalester, Oklahoma, April 5, 1998
On April 5, 1998 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N53739, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcalester, Oklahoma (Cashmere Ranch airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for the gusty crosswinds, during recovery from a bounced landing; and his failure to maintain directional control during a go-around. Related factors were: the wind conditions, and a subsequent encounter with of a fence and brush pile.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1998 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mcalester, Oklahoma · Cashmere Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N53739 · no longer on the register · serial 864-75
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a bounced landing on runway 22, the airplane turned to the right. The pilot added full power for a go-around; however, the right main wheel struck the top wire of a fence paralleling the runway, the right wing caught a brush pile, and the airplane nosed to the ground. Winds were from 160 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 35 knots. Due to dry windy conditions in the area, the pilot had flown on fire patrol flights for an average of 6 hours per day for the previous 2 weeks.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,282 hours in all; 133 in this make and model; 146 in the last 90 days; 81 in the last 30 days; 5,987 as pilot in command; 1,210 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,912 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 1998; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7450 OK at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 1,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 15 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.