Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Foley, Alabama, August 23, 2017
On August 23, 2017 at about 1:55 pm local time, a 1974 Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N181TM, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Foley, Alabama (Resort airport). It was a banner-towing flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The ground crew’s incorrect hook up of the banner, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2017 · about 1:55 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Foley, Alabama · Resort · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC NO SERIES, built 1974 · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N181TM · registry record · serial 114-74
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Banner-towing flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during banner towing operations, he was on approach to drop the banner and pulled the tow release, but the banner did not release. The banner hit the ground and broke away from the airplane, and the airplane nosed over. The release mechanism has three hooks, but they typically only use the No. 1 hook. Postaccident examination of the hook release mechanism did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented the banner from being released. The pilot believed that the ground crew mistakenly set up the No. 3 hook to pick up and tow the banner instead of the No. 1 hook. Therefore, when he went to release the banner from the No.1 hook, there was nothing to release. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Misc hardware › (general) › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the other and general
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Ground crew
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,066 hours in all; 732 in this make and model; 475.2 in the last 90 days; 145.6 in the last 30 days; 1,066 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,909 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 16, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 5,909 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0AL1 Foley AL at 1:00 pm
- Destination: 0AL1 Foley AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,640 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KJKA, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 15, 2018. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Email (Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N181TM 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&VO-360 SER · as the NTSB recorded it
- Resort Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,356 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA17CA537.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.