Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Ovid, Colorado, December 25, 1986
On December 25, 1986 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N1068E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ovid, Colorado. It was a business 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 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 1986 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Ovid, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N1068E · registry record · serial 253-77
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT SAW SMOKE FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT ON CLIMB TO CRUISE. HE MADE A FORCED LANDING AFTER CIRLING THE FIELD. DURING LANDING ROLL, THE PLT APPLIED EXCESSIVE BRAKING AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER. THERE WAS A POST ACCIDENT FIRE.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,630 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 2,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CNP Chappell NE at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from AKO, 68 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1068E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Bellanca 8 Decathlon and Scout 554 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bellanca 2,699 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1E 5 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Billy G Ray Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,483 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN87LA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.