Bellanca 7KCAB accident near Tucson, Arizona, April 7, 1995
On April 7, 1995 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB, registered N333JS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (La Cholla 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 inadequate compensation for the prevailing wind conditions which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop. The crosswind and the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft are factors in this accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 1995 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 1995
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · La Cholla · 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 7KCAB · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N333JS · registry record · serial 612-77
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE GROUND LOOPED DURING THE LANDING ROLL ON RUNWAY 19. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE FAILED TO COMPENSATE FOR THE PREVAILING CROSSWIND AND THAT THE AIRPLANE DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY PREIMPACT MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES. THE SURFACE WINDS WERE FROM 210 DEGREES AT 15 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 18 KNOTS. THE PILOT HAD ACCRUED 10 HOURS IN THE CONVENTIONAL GEAR 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: 120 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,165 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 2, 1994; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-320-E2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 40E at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 15 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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 N333JS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N333JS 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 AEIO-320-E2B 6 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,434 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N333JS 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX95LA156.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.