Bellanca 7ECA accident near Rio Vista, California, May 17, 1985
On May 17, 1985 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Bellanca 7ECA, registered N2899Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rio Vista, California (Rio Vista Muni airport). It was an instructional 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
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
- May 17, 1985 · about 8:50 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Rio Vista, California · Rio Vista Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N2899Z · registry record · serial 1243-78
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR PLT (CFI) REPORTED THAT DURING A BOUNCED LANDING RECOVERY, THE STUDENT PLT HELD THE ACFT IN A 3-POINT ATTITUDE ABOVE THE RWY. AS AIRSPEED DECAYED, THE (CFI) TOOK CONTROL & ADDED FULL POWER. HOWEVER, THE RIGHT WING DROPPED & GRAZED RISING TERRAIN ON THE RIGHT SHOULDER OF THE RUNWAY. THIS INDUCED A GROUNDLOOP TO THE RIGHT & RESULTED IN FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE ACFT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,268 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 1,162 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,210 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 21, 1984; 2 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: HWD Hayward CA at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,616 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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
- N2899Z 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
- Hayward Executive · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA85LA114.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.