PENDLETON, NY, USA
N53784
BELLANCA 7GCAA
THE PILOT OF THE BELLANCA HAD JUST STARTED HIS APPROACH TO PICK UP A BANNER, WHEN THE ENGINE WAS HEARD TO BE RUNNING ROUGH. HE CONTINUED WITH THE BANNER PICKUP. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT WHEN POWER WAS APPLIED, THE ENGINE RAN EXTREMELY ROUGH AND EMITTED BLACK SMOKE. GROUND PERSONNEL INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO RELEASE THE BANNER. THE WITNESS SAID THAT THE PILOT RELEASED THE BANNER AND STARTED A SHALLOW TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DROPPED OUT OF SIGHT BEHIND A LINE OF TREES AND IMPACTED THE GROUND. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE AIRCRAFT HAD CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN EXAM OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THERE WAS PLENTY OF FUEL ON BOARD. AN OPERATIONAL CHECK OF THE ENGINE WAS MADE AFTER SEVERAL DAMAGED COMPONENTS WERE REPLACED; IT STARTED AND RAN NORMALLY UP TO ABOUT 1300 TO 1400 RPM. DUE TO A BENT CRANKSHAFT FLANGE, THE ENGINE WAS NOT CHECKED AT A HIGHER RPM.
LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE PILOT HAD HOOKED THE BANNER.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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