Bellanca 260 B accident near Cornelia, Georgia, March 5, 2000
On March 5, 2000 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Bellanca 260 B, registered N8865R, was destroyed in an accident near Cornelia, Georgia (Habersham County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to use the checklist, resulting in a wheels-up landing and post-crash fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2000 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cornelia, Georgia · Habersham County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 260 B
- Registration
- N8865R · no longer on the register · serial 4227
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he did not obtain much altitude and speed for the short flight. He also reported that the landing gear was not needed to slow the airplane down and was not extended on approach. The pilot reported that he forgot to extend the landing gear before landing, and he did not recall hearing the landing gear warning horn after the throttle was retarded. He also stated that after he exited the airplane and was about 50 feet away, the airplane burst into flames. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or component failures with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 525 hours in all; 178 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 410 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 47A Canton GA at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ATL, 77 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.