Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Prineville, Oregon, January 30, 2005
On January 30, 2005 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N53719, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prineville, Oregon (Dry Creek Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Other maintenance personnel's inadequate reassembly of the tail wheel assembly and the left main landing gear breaking assembly resulting in an inadvertent loss of control during the landing roll. Contributing factors were the pilot's inadvertent swerve during landing (aircraft control not possible), and the subsequent impact with rocks and trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2005 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Prineville, Oregon · Dry Creek Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N53719 · registry record · serial 858-75
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the airplane was 12 hours out of restoration. He said that during the touchdown roll the airplane veered to the right, departed the runway and impacted some trees. Postimpact examination of the tailwheel assembly found that during its reassembly, two shims were installed backwards which had disabled the steering capability of the assembly. Additionally the master cylinder on the left brake pedal had separated, and it was determined that its safety cotter key was missing. The impact destroyed the engine cowling, bent the left gear box, and wrinkled the empennage. The pilot reported the accident on March 7, 2005.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 16, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2004; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OG21 Prineville OR at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 0G21
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 3,000 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from RDM, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.