Bellanca 7ACA N9158L

Summary

On 14 May 2026 at about 23:14 local time, a Bellanca 7ACA registered N9158L was involved in an accident near Pacific City, Oregon, 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

14 May 2026 at 23:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Pacific City, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Pacific City State (PFC)

Coordinates

45.1994, -123.9619

Aircraft

Bellanca 7ACA

Registration

N9158L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Newport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR26LA193

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s loss of directional control during a precautionary landing following a partial reduction in engine rpm.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during the initial climb, the engine began to run abnormally and lose RPM. While troubleshooting, he noted the right magneto dropped by about 500 RPM. Unable to correct the malfunction, he chose to return to the departure airport to perform a precautionary landing. During the landing roll, the airplane veered to the right, while correcting with rudder and brake, the airplane veered to the left and subsequently nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut and rudder. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 14 with wind from 230° at 8 knots. Post accident examination of the ignition system revealed that the No. 3 cylinder ignition lead was degraded. The center conductor fell apart when the connector end was removed. The dielectric was worn and the center conductor was loose inside of the wire, allowing it to intermittently ground out against the shield and spring. No faults were observed with the remaining 7 leads. The reduction in engine RPM noted by the pilot was consistent with a faulty ignition lead. To facilitate recovery of the airplane, both tailwheel steering springs were disconnected by first responders from the tailwheel steering arm.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.