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Accidents · NTSB LAX04CA252 · Final report

Bellanca 7KCAB accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, June 29, 2004

On June 29, 2004 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB, registered N8717V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona (Casa Grande airport). It was a personal 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 misjudged the flare resulting in a bounced landing. Also causal was the pilot's inadequate recovery from the bounced landing resulting in a loss of directional control.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
June 29, 2004 · about 5:00 pm local time
Place
Casa Grande, Arizona · Casa Grande · 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
N8717V · registry record · serial 523-75
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot lost directional control of the airplane during landing and it ground looped. During the landing touchdown the airplane bounced, and the pilot attempted to salvage the landing. He said that he either overcontrolled the airplane or hit a brake. The plane veered off the runway, and spun around to the right striking the left wing tip on the ground and separating the left wheel.

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: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 17,500 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming AEIO-320-E2B (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: KBLH Blythe CA
  • Destination: KCHD Casa Grande AZ
  • Flight plan: VFR
  • Runway 23

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1
Passengers1

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.