Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Oroville, California, July 26, 2005
On July 26, 2005 at about 1:50 am local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N87008, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oroville, California (Oroville Farm Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a binding and/or activation of the brakes that lead to an inadvertent nose over. The underlying root cause of the brake binding/activation could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2005 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Oroville, California · Oroville Farm Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N87008 · registry record · serial 51-74
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane nosed over during landing. The pilot said he had been out practicing landings, and the accident landing was to be his last of the day. The first three landings were completed with no discrepancies. On the fourth landing, the airplane touched down on the main landing gear in a tail low attitude; the tail started to rise, and the pilot thought that the main landing gear "appeared to make a slight 'bounce.'" He did a go-around and came back to land for the last time. On the accident landing, he did a 3-point landing. The landing was normal, power was at idle, and he noted his airspeed at 65 miles per hour; however, it felt as if the brakes were being "strongly applied." The tail started to rise, and he immediately pulled back on the stick to its full rearward position. He checked his foot position on the rudder pedals, and removed them temporarily to see if that would help; however, the braking action continued with no airplane response to the full aft stick. The airplane rotated forward, and nosed over. The pilot stated that after the accident he walked the runway and saw that the main landing gear left straight skid marks for about 150 feet from the touchdown point, until the airplane nosed over. A witness observed black smoke coming from the wheels just after the airplane came to rest inverted. Another witness was at the airplane about 25 minutes after the accident and attempted to rotate the main wheels. The witness said that they would rotate, but that there was "quite a bit of drag on them." Two airframe and power plant mechanics examined the airplane the day after the accident and found no identifiable brake system anomalies. They noted that the parking brake was in the OFF position, and indicated that the skid marks on the runway were indicative of the brakes either partially or fully activated on touchdown until the airplane turned over. They theorized that the brake anomaly might have been due to the brake piston being stuck, possible foreign debris in the brake lines or brakes themselves, or a high ambient temperature causing internal hydraulic pressure buildup in the cylinder and lines, thus activating the brakes.
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: 260 hours in all; 66 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 165 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,587 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2004; 59.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Oroville CA at 1:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,150 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.