Bellanca 8KCAB N50702
20 September 1988 · Oswego, Illinois, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 20 September 1988 at about 23:25 local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB registered N50702, operated by Lewis, Richard A., was involved in an accident near Oswego, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:25
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Oswego, Illinois, United States
- Coordinates
- 41.6895, -88.3290
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB
- Registration
- N50702
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Lewis, Richard A.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Plainfield → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI88FA240
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
INADEQUATE DESIGN INTHE MANUFACTURE OF THE PILOT'S SEAT WHICH FAILED DURING INTENTIONAL AEROBATIC MANEUVERS FOR WHICH THE AIRCRAFT INCLUDING THE SEAT WERE INTENDED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DRG AEROBATICS, THE ACFT WENT IN A DIVE, GAINED SPEED, LEVELED OFF & PULLED UP ABRUPTLY. DRG THE PULL-UP, THE RGT WING FAILED UPWARD & SEPD FM THE ACFT. THE ACFT THEN WENT OUT OF CTL & CRASHED. THE PLT WAS WEARING A PARACHUTE, BUT DID NOT BAIL-OUT; HE WAS FOUND STRAPPED IN HIS SEAT & THE DOOR RLS PIN WAS STILL IN PLACE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF UPWARD BENDING OF THE LEFT WING; BOTH HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS HAD EVIDENCE OF BEING COMPROMISED IN A DWNWRD DRCTN. AN EXAM OF THE PLT'S SEAT REVEALED THE TUBULAR ENDS OF THE SEAT-BACK FRAME HAD FAILED AT THE PIVOT POINTS (PVT PTS), WHERE THE SEAT-BACK WAS DESIGNED TO PIVOT FWD OVR THE SEAT PAN TO ALLOW ENTRY TO THE AFT SEAT. ATTACHING BOLTS AT THE PVT PTS HAD PULLED THRU THE ENDS OF THE FRAME. EVIDENCE OF OVERSTRESS SHEAR WAS FND AT THE RGT PVT PT AS IF THE SEAT-BACK HAD FAILED AFT. EVIDENCE OF OVERSTRESS SHEAR & TWISTING DEFORMATION WAS FND AT THE LEFT PVT PT. BELLANCA 7 & 8 SERIES ACFT HAVE HAD SVRL SEATBACK FAILURES AT THE HINGE POINT OR AT THE WELDED JUNCTION OF THE SEAT'S LOWER SIDE TUBE & SEATBACK SIDE BRACE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Bellanca 8 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Apr 1988 | Bellanca 8GCBC | Florence, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 1988 | Bellanca 8KCAB | Alpine, California, United States | William P. Oglesby III | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Oct 1988 | Bellanca 8GCBC | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 1988 | Bellanca 8KCAB | Geyserville, California, United States | Munro L. Lyeth | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Jan 1988 | Bellanca 8GCBC | Clovis, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Aug 1988 | Bellanca 8KCAB | Quaker Street, New York, United States | Gordon Folts | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Oct 1988 | Boeing B-727-200A | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Northwest Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 1988 | Beechcraft 55B | Quincy, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 1988 | Cessna 172 | Carbondale, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jan 1988 | Cessna T310R | Urbana, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Oct 1988 | Piper PA-28-151 | Fairview Hts., Illinois, United States | Hurst Flight Training, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 1988 | Cessna 421A | Wheeling, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |