Bellanca 7GCBC N36286

Summary

On 4 August 2012 at about 13:13 local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC registered N36286 was involved in an accident near Imperial, Nebraska, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 August 2012 at 13:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Imperial, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

40.5095, -101.6304

Aircraft

Bellanca 7GCBC

Registration

N36286

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Imperial → Imperial

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12FA517

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from rising terrain while flying toward the rising sun, which interfered with his ability to see the terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted rising terrain while traveling in a generally eastward direction. Postaccident examination of the airplane and its systems did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. At the time of the accident, the airplane was travelling east into the rising sun. The sun’s position was about 14 degrees above the horizon and 80 degrees east of north. It is likely that the pilot was blinded by the sun during this portion of the flight and did not see the rising terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.