Bellanca 7ECA N2686Z

Summary

On 1 September 2005 at about 17:27 local time, a Bellanca 7ECA registered N2686Z was involved in an accident near Malibu, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 September 2005 at 17:27

Classification

Accident

Location

Malibu, California, United States

Coordinates

33.9589, -118.8214

Aircraft

Bellanca 7ECA

Registration

N2686Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Camarillo → Camarillo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05CA285

Nobody was injured.

a partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power and the pilot ditched in the ocean. While en route over the ocean on a fish-spotting mission, the pilot noticed a decrease in engine power. The pilot's scan of the cockpit gauges revealed no anomalies, with the exception of a slight rise in oil temperature. As the pilot maneuvered the airplane toward land, the oil temperature continued to rise and he heard a loud "bang" followed by a vibration. Engine oil began to cover the windshield and the airplane continued to lose altitude. With the engine still running, the pilot ditched the airplane in the ocean about 5 miles from the coastline. The airplane sank to the ocean floor, about 1,200 feet underwater.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.