Bellanca 7ECA accident near Santa Paula, California, December 9, 1993
On December 9, 1993, a Bellanca 7ECA, registered N57404, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Paula, California (Santa Paula 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
A failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the tailwheel airplane following touchdown. The pilot's lack of total experience in the type of airplane was a factor in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 1993 · cases in 1993
- Place
- Santa Paula, California · Santa Paula · cases near this 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
- N57404 · registry record · serial 940-73
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED INSTRUCTION IN TAILWHEEL AIRPLANES AND WAS COMPLETING HIS FIRST SOLO LANDING WITHOUT AN INSTRUCT0R IN THE AIRPLANE. FOLLOWING TOUCHDOWN, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HIS POOR RUDDER CONTROL LED TO THE AIRPLANE VEERING OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE LEFT WING OF THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE AIRPORT'S TETRAHEDRON, DAMAGING THE SPAR. THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED 7 HOURS OF INSTRUCTION IN THE AIRPLANE, 1 OF WHICH WAS PILOT-IN-COMMAND.
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: 120 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,879 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 16, 1993; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,650 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from CMA, 8 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N57404 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bellanca 7 Citabria 1,227 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bellanca 2,699 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 49 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Santa Paula Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX94LA070.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.