Bellanca 7KCAB accident near Albany, Oregon, July 14, 2011
On July 14, 2011 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Bellanca 7KCAB, registered N16TP, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Albany, Oregon (Albany Municipal 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and failure to ensure the fuel cap was secured after refueling, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 2011 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Albany, Oregon · Albany Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7KCAB · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N16TP · registry record · serial 302-72
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after flying for approximately 1.7 hours, the airplane's engine started to run rough. He contacted the nearest air traffic control tower and reported the problem while trying to turn back to an airport he had just passed. After making a 180-degree turn, the airplane's engine lost power and the pilot, who was unsure he could make it back to the airport without unduly endangering people on the ground, opted to land in an empty field. The landing was uneventful; however, during the landing roll the airplane encountered a divot in the ground and nosed over. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the fuel filler cap on the right wing was missing and there were several blue stain streaks aft of the filler port to the trailing edge of the wing. The fuel filler cap was located in the run up area where the pilot had last refilled the airplane's fuel tank. Further examination of the fuel system found it to be intact with just 3 tablespoons of fuel in the fuel sump and no fuel in the main fuel lines to the fuel injector.
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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Inadequate inspection
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,275 hours in all; 1,289 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 327 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 8, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,480 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 2011; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSIY Siskiyou County CA at 6:20 pm
- Destination: KSLE Salem Airport OR
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 7:26 pm from KSLE, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N16TP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR11CA329.