Bellanca 7ECA accident near St. Joseph, Missouri, November 14, 1983
On November 14, 1983 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 7ECA, registered N53842, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Joseph, Missouri (Rosecrans Mem 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1983 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- St. Joseph, Missouri · Rosecrans Mem · cases near this airport
- 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
- N53842 · registry record · serial 1125-75
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT NOSED DOWN DURING LANDING AFTER THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR STRUT FAILED. THE PLT STATED THAT ON THE 2ND TOUCH- AND-GO LANDING, HE FELT A VIBRATION AND SAW THE LEFT GEAR STRUT TRAILING AT ABOUT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. THE PLT CHOSE TO LAND ON THE GRASS BESIDE THE RWY. ON TOUCHDOWN, THE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED DOWN. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ATTACH BOLT, BELLANCA PN MS20007, HAD BROKEN. THE NTSB LAB FOUND THAT THE BOLT REVEALED FEATURES TYPICAL OF HIGH STRESS FATIGUE CRACKING OVER MOST OF THE FRACTURE FACE. TWO SEPARATE REGIONS OF FATIGUE CRACKING WERE NOTICEABLE ON THE FRACTURE FACE.
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: 3,100 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 576 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1983; 115 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STJ St. Joseph MO at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from KCI, 31 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
- N53842 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bellanca 7 Citabria 1,226 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bellanca 2,698 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 49 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Rosecrans Memorial · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Missouri 1,640 since 1982 · 219 in the last ten years
- Missouri 5,813 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MKC84LA021.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.