Introduction
On April 8, 2016, at 1502 central daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCBC airplane, registration N5046N, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain near Mid-Way Regional Airport (JWY) in Midlothian, Texas. The student pilot was fatally injured, and the flight instructor sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated by Big Q Aviation under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight.
Flight History
The accident flight was the instructor's second flight of the day in the same airplane; he reported no anomalies during the previous flight. The student pilot was on his second flight lesson, with the first lesson conducted by a different instructor. A preflight inspection, including flight control surfaces, was performed. The student occupied the front seat and the instructor the rear seat. The instructor did not recall performing a flight control check before takeoff. During takeoff, as the airplane lifted off, the control stick "wasn't moving." The airplane climbed with an increasingly nose-high pitch attitude. The instructor's attempts to apply forward pressure had no effect. The airplane reached a pitch attitude "well above" 45° nose-up before experiencing an aerodynamic stall and impacting the ground. The instructor stated that, due to the tandem seating, he could not see if the student was inadvertently interfering with the control stick.
Witness Observations
A witness reported that after takeoff the airplane climbed nose-up to about 50 feet above ground level, then suddenly rolled left, then right, before descending steeply nose-down. A security camera located about 700 feet west of the accident site recorded the impact, showing the airplane in a left-wing-low, nose-down attitude of approximately 45°. The airplane came to rest upright. Several witnesses responded to provide aid. A fuel spill was present, but no postimpact fire occurred.
Aircraft and Impact Information
The two-seat, tandem, high-wing, tailwheel-equipped, single-engine airplane was manufactured in 1979. Flight controls were installed at both seat positions. The airplane impacted the infield grass between the runway and a taxiway. A ground scar approximately the length of the left wing was found before a shallow crater. The propeller was located outside the crater, with additional ground scarring and debris leading to the main wreckage. All major components remained attached to their mounts. The left wing leading edge was crushed rearward from the wing strut, with the outer wing deformed upward. The right wing was also crushed rearward from the strut but lacked upward damage at the wingtip. The fuselage cabin area was distorted. The engine remained attached and was bent upward. The instrument panel was crushed aft toward the front cockpit. The rear seat was relatively undamaged. The empennage, elevator, and rudder were not damaged.
Examination Findings
Examination of the airframe revealed that all flight controls remained securely fastened, and control continuity was established from the cockpit to the flight control surfaces. No evidence of jammed flight controls or foreign body obstruction was found. The elevator trim was fully deflected trailing edge down. The elevator trim cockpit control was damaged, and the elevator trim cables displayed slack. However, a photograph taken before departure showed no evidence of a fully deflected elevator trim surface. The engine examination revealed valvetrain continuity and thumb compression on all cylinders. All screens were clear of debris. The left magneto sparked at three of its outlets; the fourth was impact-damaged. The right magneto sparked at all outlets. The carburetor contained fuel in the float chamber, and the float was deformed. No preimpact anomalies were detected with the engine.