Bellanca 8KCAB accident near Waterford, Ohio, August 18, 1996
On August 18, 1996 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registered N88428, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waterford, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's decision to abruptly maneuver the airplane with insufficient altitude to recover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1996 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Waterford, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N88428 · registry record · serial 16275
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner asked the passenger if she wanted a ride in his airplane. The passenger stated that during takeoff, she felt as if the airplane was going straight up with the control stick full back. She stated that the left wing went down, and she thought that the pilot was turning left. A private pilot witness on the ground, watching the takeoff, stated that the airplane appeared to be going straight up, and at approximately 100 feet off the ground, the airplane did what the witness called a 'Hammerhead Stall.' The witness never heard the engine stop running. He stated that the airplane descended below a hill, out of his sight, then he heard the noise of impact. The pilot/owner of the airplane stated to the local police that he thought 'he lost power, that the engine just wasn't pulling' and that he thought he reached 600 feet in altitude. The airplane wreckage had collapsed fixed main landing gear with minimum ground scarring. There were fresh deep cuts in the dirt of the rough surrounding turf and both tips of the propeller blade were twisted and bent aft.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (expired)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 589 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1995; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,153 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT OH at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from KPK, 20 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.