Bellanca 7KCAB accident near Daytona Bch Shr, Florida, March 25, 1989
On March 25, 1989 at about 5:48 pm local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB, registered N90985, was destroyed in an accident near Daytona Bch Shr, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL WHILE MANEUVERING TO REVERSE DIRECTION DUE THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED DURING THE 'STEEP TURN.'
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 1989 · about 5:48 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Bch Shr, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7KCAB · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N90985 · no longer on the register · serial 345-73
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE FLYING OFFSHORE SOUTHBOUND AT AN ALT OF 300-400 FT, THE BANNER TOWING BELLANCA PASSED TO THE RT, THE LAST OF A FLT OF FOUR BANNER TOWING SUPER CUB ACFT CRUISING AT ABOUT 40 MPH, PLACING THE ACFT CLOSER TO SHORE. WITH A QUARTERING TAILWIND, THE PLT INITIATED A 'VERY TIGHT' RT TURN TO RETURN NORTHBOUND. DURING THE TURN, THE ACFT DID WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS A WING OVER & WHILE DESCENDING EASTBOUND WITH THE BANNER ATTACHED, THE MAIN GEAR CONTACTED A WAVE CAUSING THE ACFT TO NOSE INTO THE WATER. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT & ENG REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF EITHER THE FLT CONTROLS OR ENG. THE BANNER RELEASE MECHANISM WAS EXAMINED & THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE MINIMUM ALT FOR BANNER TOWING OTHER THAN FOR PICKUP'S AND DROP'S IS 500 FT WHEN AUTHORIZED BY ATC.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,019 hours in all; 380 in this make and model; 181 in the last 90 days; 159 in the last 30 days; 2,875 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,534 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 22, 1989; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aerial Messages, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 34J New Smyrna Bch. FL at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:46 pm from DAB, 4 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 N90985 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.