Bellanca 7GCAA N8626V

Summary

On 3 July 2005 at about 05:00 local time, a Bellanca 7GCAA registered N8626V, operated by Matthew L. Gallagher, was involved in an accident near Whittier, Alaska, United States. 2 people were 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

3 July 2005 at 05:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Whittier, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

60.8000, -148.4833

Aircraft

Bellanca 7GCAA

Registration

N8626V

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Matthew L. Gallagher

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chugiak → Girdwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC05LA094

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's becoming lost/disoriented while maneuvering due to inadequate in-flight planning/decision making, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a forced landing in tree-covered terrain. A factor contributing to the accident was fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial certificated pilot departed on a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight in an area of coastal shoreline and glaciers in a wheel-equipped airplane that did not have any navigational equipment, other than a magnetic compass. The pilot said that during the flight, the compass became erratic and was not providing accurate information. The pilot indicated that he attempted to find his location, but was unable to accurately fix his position. He made several radio calls on a variety of frequencies, and finally made radio contact with an FAA flight service station as he was circling over a beach under about a 500 foot ceiling. He reported that he was lost, and the airplane had minimum fuel. A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched to the area and located the airplane about 17 miles from an airport. The two aircraft flew toward the airport, but the airplane's engine quit when the fuel supply was exhausted. The pilot made an emergency landing in a partial clearing that contained small trees, and the airplane received structural damage to the wings and fuselage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.