Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Woodbine, Maryland, June 18, 1982
On June 18, 1982 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N5153X, was destroyed in an accident near Woodbine, Maryland. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1982 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Woodbine, Maryland
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N5153X · no longer on the register · serial 154
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF FROM RUNWAY 21, THE PILOT MADE A LEFT TURN-OUT THEN REENTERED A DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 03. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME, A CESSNA 150 WAS DEPARTING FROM RUNWAY 21 AND A GLIDER ENTERED THE PATTERN TO LAND ON RUNWAY 03. TWO WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT CONVERGING IN THE VICINITY OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. ACCORDING TO ONE WITNESS, ONE OF THE CONVERGING AIRCRAFT PULLED UP SHARPLY, THEN SPUN THREE TIMES BEFORE HITTING THE GROUND. N5153X CRASHED ON THE DOWNWIND LEG. IT IMPACTED IN ABOUT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE AND BURNED. REPORTEDLY, THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL UNTIL IMPACT. AN EXAMINATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS REVEALED NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 426 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 112 in the last 90 days; 303 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,400 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Aviation Consumer Services, In
The flight
- Departed from: Woodbine MD at 6:25 pm
- Destination: Woodbine MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 1,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.