Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Nixon, Nevada, July 1, 2001
On July 1, 2001, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N8638V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nixon, Nevada. It was a personal 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 pilot’s failure to attain the proper touchdown point and his misjudged distance/speed during landing rollout. Factors were the tailwind condition and the downhill landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 2001
- Place
- Nixon, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N8638V · registry record · serial 162-75
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident tow plane pilot intended to recover a glider that had made an off site landing on a hard gravel road. The glider's ground crew had positioned the glider about midway on the road, which was 4,000 feet long. The tow plane pilot's approach was slightly faster than intended, and the airplane landed long on the downhill road, with a slight tailwind. Also, the pilot misjudged the available stopping distance. As the tow plane approached the stationary glider, the pilot applied heavy breaks to decelerate, and the tow plane nosed over.
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, military
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 8, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NV23 Sparks NV
- Destination: Nixon NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 22,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N8638V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.