Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Usaf Academy, Colorado, January 28, 1994
On January 28, 1994 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N7634S, was destroyed in an accident near Usaf Academy, Colorado. It was a public-use 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
LOSS OF CONTROL IN FLIGHT FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 1994 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Usaf Academy, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N7634S · no longer on the register · serial 210-76
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE RETURNING FROM A GLIDER TOW MISSION, AFTER THE GLIDER HAD BEEN RELEASED, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDE. ONE WITNESS SAID THE ENGINE SOUNDED AS THOUGH IT WAS CUTTING OUT. OTHER WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE AIRCRAFT AS FLYING ERRATICALLY AT LOW ALTITUDE. IT THEN ENTERED A DIVE AND CRASHED IN A WOODED AREA. NO AIRCRAFT SYSTEM FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND DURING AN INVESTIGATION. AN AUTOPSY REVEALED EVIDENCE OF CORONARY ARTERY HEART DISEASE. THE EL PASO COUNTY CORONER'S OFFICE INDICATED THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE RESULTED FROM CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA DUE TO CORONARY INSUFFICIENCY. AN AIR FORCE ACADEMY CADET WAS ALSO ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT, BUT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH DUAL CONTROLS.
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 land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,200 hours in all; 6,250 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 14,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,370 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 23, 1993; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AFF CO at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from AFF, 2 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.
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.