Bellanca 8KCAB accident near Sheffield, Massachusetts, October 25, 1996
On October 25, 1996 at about 9:24 pm local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registered N2571Z, was destroyed in an accident near Sheffield, Massachusetts (North Canaan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's abrupt control of the airplane, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, uncontrolled descent, and subsequent in-flight collision with water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 1996 · about 9:24 pm local time
- Place
- Sheffield, Massachusetts · North Canaan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N2571Z · no longer on the register · serial 347-77
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A pilot had flown the airplane on a local flight and stated that he had no mechanical problems with the airframe or engine. A second pilot, a certificated commercial pilot, then got into the airplane for a flight. The first pilot observed the airplane takeoff to the north, then level off before he lost sight of it. Witnesses observed the airplane bank left and right, followed by the airplane rolling upside down. When the airplane reached the inverted position, it began a gradual descent, followed by a near vertical descent, and impacted in a river in nose down attitude. The second pilot stated that he had banked to the left to depart the traffic pattern. He stated that he thought he observed another airplane in close proximity, and banked back to the right. The pilot felt the airplane shudder and recalled being inverted, but could not recall anything after that point. The second pilot stated he thought that the airplane had stalled.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 543 hours in all; 180 in this make and model; 203 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 396 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,134 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1996; 101 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AE IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CT24 North Canaan CT at 9:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from BAF, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.