Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Cleveland, Mississippi, July 31, 2024
On July 31, 2024 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1979 Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N188RS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Cleveland, Mississippi (Cleveland Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to attain/maintain directional control and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2024 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Mississippi · Cleveland Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC, built 1979 · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N188RS · registry record · serial 341-80
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was for him to fulfill insurance rental requirements. The pilot, accompanied by a flight instructor, successfully completed four wheel landings and then performed three 3-point landings. During the subsequent landing by the pilot, the airplane drifted toward the right of the runway. The pilot applied left rudder control input to maintain the runway centerline, but the airplane continued its’ drift. The pilot applied full brakes prior to the airplane departing the right side of the runway and into a grass area where the right main landing gear struck uneven terrain, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and right wing strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 156 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 87 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,927 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 255 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 1,860 as pilot in command; 1,135 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 30, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,649.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 24, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1E (piston); 342 hours total
- Operator: Goff Bayou LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,005 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 81°F (27°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 am from RNV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 19, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.