Premium research interface

The modern interface for aviation safety intelligence.

Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.

63k+
Reports indexed
1940-2026
Coverage
Recent
Last data refresh
Featured Report

Loading…

Loading featured report…

Loading…
Open Report

Safety trends by operating rule

Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.

Loading trend charts…

Browse the aviation graph

Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.

Last Data Update

By Decade

By Month

Aircraft Manufacturer

More manufacturers

Airports

More airports

Operators

More operators

About

Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.

The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.

FAQs

NTSB Report

September 7, 2006 · Bellanca 7GCBC · N50340

Krum, TX

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
September 7, 2006
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (2 uninjured)
Location
Krum, TX
Aircraft
Bellanca 7GCBC
Tail Number
N50340
Operator
Marcair
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
DFW06LA209

The 1,800-hour flight instructor and the 4,500-hour airline transport pilot (ATP), who was an FAA inspector, were practicing takeoffs and landings in a tail-wheel equipped single-engine airplane, when the airplane's left and right wing struts collided with a T-bar and wood fence post during an aborted landing. The ATP rented the airplane for the purpose of recurrency training under the provisions of the FAA's 4040.9D Flight Management Program. Prior to the flight, the inspector noted that the left brake pedal had excessive travel, but the instructor stated that there had not been any problems reported with the brakes. The inspector and instructor then flew to a private airport to practice takeoffs and landings on a 3,501-foot-long and 250-foot-wide turf runway. The inspector had never flown into this airport before. While on the first approach to landing, the inspector noted large birds on the runway so he executed a go-around and the birds dispersed. On the next approach to landing, he noted that the birds had returned to the runway. The flight instructor suggested that the inspector land beyond where the birds were located, which was about half-way down the runway. The inspector said he maintained an approach speed of 85 miles per hour (mph), which he later admitted was about 30 mph too fast. When the airplane touched down on the runway, he realized that it sloped downhill and he would not have enough runway length to stop. Plus, the left brake was not working properly, so he aborted the landing. The inspector added full power and began to climb; however, the right wing strut collided with a metal T-bar and a wooded fence post, which were obstructed by bushes. The pilot was able to maintain directional control of the airplane, but elected to return to the private airport and land. Examination of the airplane revealed the left and right wing struts were both damaged; however, the wood spar in the right wing was split about 2 to 3-inches. The ATP later reported that the airplane would have needed at least 2,000 feet of runway length to safely stop the airplane.

NTSB Probable Cause

The CFI's and ATP's inflight decision to land halfway down the runway and the ATP's delayed decision to abort the landing. A factor was the ATP's excessive airspeed on final.

Full Narrative

On September 7, 2006, at 1300 central daylight time, a single-engine Bellanca 7GCBC (Citabria) tailwheel-equipped airplane, N50340, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a metal T-bar and wood fence post during an aborted landing at the Air Cowboy Airport (TE58), near Krum, Texas. The flight instructor and the airline transport pilot receiving instruction were not injured. The airplane was registered to a private corporation and operated by Marcair, Incorporated, of Roanoke, Texas. No flight plan was filed for the training flight that originated from the Northwest Regional Airport (52F), near Roanoke, Texas, about 1230. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight that was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The 1,800-hour flight instructor and the 4,500-hour airline transport pilot (ATP), who was an FAA inspector, were practicing takeoffs and landings in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, when the airplane's left and right wing struts collided with a T-bar and wood fence post during an aborted landing. The ATP had not flown a conventional gear airplane in over 2 years and he rented the airplane for the purpose of recurrency training under the provisions of the FAA's 4040.9D Flight Management Program. Prior to the flight, the ATP noted that the left brake pedal had excessive travel; however, the flight instructor stated that there had not been any problems reported with the brakes. The ATP and the instructor proceeded to fly to a private airport to practice takeoffs and landings on a 3,501-foot-long, by 250-foot-wide turf runway. The ATP reported that he had never flown into this airport before. While on the first landing approach, the ATP noted large birds on the runway, so he elected to execute a go-around and the birds dispersed. On the next landing approach, he noted that the birds had returned to the runway. The flight instructor suggested that the ATP land beyond where the birds were located, which was about half-way down the runway. The ATP stated that he maintained an approach speed of 85 miles per hour (mph) as directed by the instructor (normal approach speed is 55 mph). When the airplane touched down on the runway, the ATP realized that the runway sloped downhill and he would not have enough runway remaining to stop the airplane. Additionally, the left brake was not working properly, so he elected to abort the landing. The inspector added full power to abort the landing and the airplane began to climb; however, the right wing strut collided with a metal T-bar and a wooded fence post, which were obstructed by bushes at the departure end of the runway. The ATP was able to maintain directional control of the airplane, but elected to return to the private airport and land. The ATP later stated that he would have needed approximately 2,000 feet of runway to safely land the airplane at the suggested airspeed. The flight instructor, who also owned Marcair, Inc., provided a similar account of the accident sequence except that he told the ATP than an airspeed between 65 and 80 mph was "good" in the traffic pattern. He also stated that the ATP made a normal landing and there was plenty of runway remaining to stop safely, and he was not sure why the ATP elected to abort the landing. In addition, the flight instructor reported that he had not actually been hired as a flight instructor and was only a passenger on the flight. He knew the ATP was already checked-out in the airplane, and was not aware that he needed instruction or that he was not current in the airplane. The instructor added that FAA personnel had previously asked his employees to join them on flights, and he thought that this was one of those instances. Both pilots agreed that there was no discussion prior to the flight regarding aircraft performance nor was there any discussion about who was pilot-in-command for the flight. In an interview with the flight school's dispatcher, she confirmed that the ATP had contacted the flight school several days prior to the accident. She stated that the ATP wanted to rent an airplane and hire a flight instructor. The ATP specifically requested the owner of the flight school to be his instructor. The flight was entered into the school's electronic scheduler program as "w/[flight instructor] (needs 1.5 checkout)", and a confirmation e-mail was automatically sent to the ATP. The dispatcher also contacted the flight instructor and informed him that he had been scheduled for this instructional flight. An FAA inspector from another Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) examined the airplane at the accident site and later at the operator's maintenance facility. According to the inspector, the right wing (wooden) spar was split about 2 to 3-inches, and the front and aft wing struts on both wings were bent. In addition, the wheel pants, the right horizontal stabilizer and the propeller sustained damage. Weather at the time of the accident was reported by the instructor as wind from 090 degrees at 10 knots, visibility more than 10 miles, and clear skies.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time13:00 CDT
Nearest AirportAir Cowboy Airport (0nm)
Runway35
Runway Length3501 ft
Runway Width250 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Flight Plan ActivatedNo
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftBellanca 7GCBC
Tail NumberN50340
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorMarcair
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · 0-320 · Reciprocating · 150
Seats2

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (2 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured2
Total2
Crew 1Age 49 · Second Class · None
Crew 2Age 46 · First Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind90° @ 10 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point54
Altimeter30.04 inHg
Weather SourcePILO

Appendix: Source Data