Bellanca 7KCAB accident near Renton, Washington, June 12, 2020
On June 12, 2020 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1973 Bellanca 7KCAB, registered N36339, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Renton, Washington (Renton Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Maintenance personnel’s inadequate post-maintenance inspections that resulted in the total loss of engine power due to a blockage in the air intake.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2020 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Renton, Washington · Renton Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7KCAB, built 1973 · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N36339 · no longer on the register · serial 388-73
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had recently undergone an annual inspection, and the accident flight was the first flight since being out of maintenance. After making a normal departure and touch-and-go landing, the pilot receiving instruction applied full power. As the airplane reached an altitude of about 400 feet above ground level (agl), the engine abruptly stopped producing (total) power. The airplane could not maintain level altitude and during the subsequent off-airport landing, the airplane was substantially damaged when it collided with a tree. Postaccident examination revealed that the air induction box contained a piece of bunched up paper that likely restricted the inlet cavity. As part of the annual inspection, a repair person completed a small fiberglass patch and painting on the lower cowling. He could not recall the specific repair on the airplane but said he often placed paper in the induction to prevent debris from entering the engine. After the maintenance, the airplane sat for a day with the lower cowling not fastened but maintenance personnel did not recognize the blockage. They also did not find the paper during the post-maintenance inspections and returned the airplane into service with an unsafe condition.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › Air intake › Inadequate inspection
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,387 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 7,320 as pilot in command; 6,769 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 29, 2020
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 293 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 11, 2020
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,961 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 11, 2020; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E2A (piston); 5,960 hours total
- Operator: Boeing Employees Flying Assoc Inc
The flight
- Departed from: RNT Renton WA at 4:50 pm
- Destination: RNT Renton WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,382 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KMT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on April 20, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot Undergoing Instruction) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Records of Conversation | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Airframe and Engine Examination | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Logbook Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Response Notes | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N36339 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.