Pilot Debrief

BELLANCA 7GCAA near Watsonville, CA — 2019-02-09

Final reportWPR19LA100
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Date
2019-02-09
Location
Watsonville, CA, USA
Airport
CA66
Aircraft
BELLANCA 7GCAA
Registration
N11666
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s loss of airplane control during a go-around for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and pilot were conducting a flight review. The instructor reported that “everything looked good” during the simulated emergency landing before the pilot initiated a planned go-around while on final approach. The instructor did not recall the accident sequence. The airplane impacted terrain near the runway in a steep nose-down attitude consistent with a loss of control. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have prevented normal operation. Calm to light wind was reported in the vicinity of the accident site around the time of the accident, with no significant low-level wind shear or turbulence below 1,000 ft. The investigation was unable to determine the reason for the loss of control.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the go-around earlier to avoid terrain impact.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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