Bellanca 7ECA accident near Groveland, California, February 7, 2004
On February 7, 2004 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7ECA, registered N5032G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Groveland, California (Pine Mountain Lake 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 pilot's failure to maintain a proper glide path and misjudged landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing, resulting in a loss of directional control and collision with terrain
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 2004 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Groveland, California · Pine Mountain Lake 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
- N5032G · registry record · serial 1875-15
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane made a hard landing and veered of the runway while attempting to land. When the airplane was on final approach, the pilot determined that he was high above the glide path, but elected to perform the landing. During touchdown, the airplane hit hard and bounced back into the air. Upon returning back down onto the runway, the airplane veered to the left. It continued off the runway and encountered a ditch. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
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: 117 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA
- Destination: Q68 Groveland CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:50 pm from 022, 16 miles away
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 N5032G 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.