Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Springdale, Arkansas, November 11, 1989
On November 11, 1989 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N4115Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Springdale, Arkansas (Springdale airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 BANNER TOW PICK UP EQUIPMENT BECAME ENTANGLED RESULTING IN A JAMMED RUDDER AND RESTRICTED AIRCRAFT CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1989 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Springdale, Arkansas · Springdale · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N4115Y · registry record · serial 948-76
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PICK UP AN AERIAL TOWED BANNER, THE PICK-UP HOOK FOULED THE ACFT'S RUDDER CAUSING A HARD LEFT RUDDER FLYING CONFIGURATION. UNABLE TO FREE THE BANNER, AND LOSING ALTITUDE, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A LANDING ON A FARM FIELD. AFTER TOUCH DOWN, THE BANNER BROKE FREE OF THE ACFT, AND SHORTLY AFTER, THE ACFT STRUCK A DRAINAGE DITCH AND OVERTURNED. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OF THE PICK-UP MECHANISM WAS DISCOVERED ON POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 3,800 as pilot in command; 1,920 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,968 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 8, 1989; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aerial Ads INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,302 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from FYV, 10 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.
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.