Bellanca 7GCAA accident near Greeley, Colorado, March 22, 1988
On March 22, 1988, a Bellanca 7GCAA, registered N8929, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greeley, Colorado (Greeley-Weld CO. 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1988
- Place
- Greeley, Colorado · Greeley-Weld CO. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N8929 · registry record · serial 255-73
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI RATED PLT AND HIS CFI RATED PASSENGER WERE PRACTICING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE WINDS WERE LIGHT AND VARIABLE. THE PLT REPORTED THAT THE TAIL WHEEL CHATTERED DURING THE LAST TOUCHDOWN, AND THE AIRCRAFT SWERVED TO THE LEFT. THE PLT ADDED SOME RIGHT RUDDER WHICH DID NOT HELP. THE PLT ADDED RIGHT BRAKE. THE AIRCRAFT SWERVED TO THE RIGHT AND CONTROL WAS LOST. THE AIRCRAFT GROUND LOOPED TO THE RIGHT, DAMAGING THE LEFT MAIN GEAR AND COLLAPSING THE TAIL WHEEL.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 914 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 193 in the last 90 days; 740 as pilot in command; 588 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,264 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 1987; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GXY at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 7,035 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN88LA085.