Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Burlington, Wisconsin, December 4, 1998
On December 4, 1998 at about 6:25 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N395AC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Burlington, Wisconsin. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Carburetor ice, the pilot's inadequate pre-flight planning/preparation resulting in his flight into poor weather conditions, and the pilot's improper use of carburetor heat. Factors contributing to this accident were the carburetor icing conditions, the rising embankment at the shoreline and the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 1998 · about 6:25 pm local time
- Place
- Burlington, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N395AC · no longer on the register · serial 395-98
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he was in a visual descent to land when the airplane's engine lost most of its power. The pilot applied carburetor heat, but the engine lost more power. The pilot elected to perform an emergency landing on a lake. The pilot said that the lake was not long enough to stop the airplane before coming in contact with the shore. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. Weather conditions reported at Kenosha, Wisconsin, 14 miles east-southeast of the accident site were overcast ceiling of 200 feet, 1 mile visibility, temperature 52 degrees Fahrenheit, and dew point 52 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Department of Transportation/Federal Aviation Administration/CT-82/44 Publication: Light Aircraft Piston Engine Carburetor Ice Detector/Warning Device Sensitivity/ Effectiveness, June 1982, Carburetor Icing Probability Chart; these conditions places the probability for carburetor icing in the 'serious icing at cruise power' area of the chart.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 98 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 1998; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RCR Rochester IN at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 96C WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:29 pm from ENW, 14 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.