Bellanca 7GCAA accident near Pendleton, New York, July 23, 1988
On July 23, 1988 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCAA, registered N53784, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pendleton, New York (Pendleton Airpark airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE PILOT HAD HOOKED THE BANNER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 1988 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pendleton, New York · Pendleton Airpark
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N53784 · no longer on the register · serial 320-75
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF THE BELLANCA HAD JUST STARTED HIS APPROACH TO PICK UP A BANNER, WHEN THE ENGINE WAS HEARD TO BE RUNNING ROUGH. HE CONTINUED WITH THE BANNER PICKUP. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT WHEN POWER WAS APPLIED, THE ENGINE RAN EXTREMELY ROUGH AND EMITTED BLACK SMOKE. GROUND PERSONNEL INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO RELEASE THE BANNER. THE WITNESS SAID THAT THE PILOT RELEASED THE BANNER AND STARTED A SHALLOW TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT BEHIND A LINE OF TREES AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE AIRCRAFT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN EXAM OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THERE WAS PLENTY OF FUEL ON BOARD. AN OPERATIONAL CHECK OF THE ENGINE WAS MADE AFTER SEVERAL DAMAGED COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED; IT STARTED AND RAN NORMALLY UP TO ABOUT 1300 TO 1400 RPM. DUE TO A BENT CRANKSHAFT FLANGE, THE ENGINE WAS NOT CHECKED AT A HIGHER RPM.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,930 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,559 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.