Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Woodbine, Maryland, September 14, 1986
On September 14, 1986 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N53899, was destroyed in an accident near Woodbine, Maryland (Woodbine airport). 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
- September 14, 1986 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Woodbine, Maryland · Woodbine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N53899 · no longer on the register · serial 191-76
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT NOSE OVER INTO A DIVE AFTER THE GLIDER IT HAD BEEN TOWING RELEASED. THEY THEN SAW IT ROLL AND DURING THE ROLL THE LEFT WING DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT. THE CFI IN THE GLIDER HAD OBSERVED THE PILOT OF N53899 PERFORM WHAT APPEARED TO BE A SNAP ROLL ON THE FLIGHT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT SEE THE AIRCRAFT AFTER HE RELEASED FROM N53899, BOTH HE AND HIS STUDENT HEARD ENGINE NOISES SIMILIAR TO THE NOISES THEY HAD HEARD ON THE PRIOR FLIGHT WHEN THEY OBSERVED THE ROLL MANEUVER. REPEATED DETAILED EXAMINATIONS OF THE SEPARATED WING DID NOT REVEAL ANY PRE-EXISTING FAILURE AREAS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,292 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 3,195 as pilot in command; 308 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 27, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from BWI, 24 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N53899 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.