Globe GC-1B accident near Springville, California, August 9, 1987
On August 9, 1987 at about 7:19 pm local time, a Globe GC-1B, registered N80806, was destroyed in an accident near Springville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1987 · about 7:19 pm local time
- Place
- Springville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Globe GC-1B · all GC-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N80806 · no longer on the register · serial 209
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS FLYING OVER SHARPLY RISING TERRAIN IN A CANYON IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA. THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT ROOM IN THE CANYON TO MANUEVER THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD MAINTAINED AN AIRSPEED JUST ABOVE A STALL WHILE ATTEMPTING TO FLY THROUGH THE CANYON. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TREES THEN THE TERRAIN WHERE THE TERRAIN ROSE ABRUPTLY. DENSITY ALTITUDE COMPUTED FOR THE 5,300 FT MSL ACCIDENT SITE ELEVATION WAS OVER 10,400 FT MSL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOUT 24 POUNDS OVER MAX GROSS WEIGHT AT TAKEOFF. THE PILOT'S LAST BIENNIAL FLIGHT REVIEW WAS MORE THAN NINE YEARS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WERE NO PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES. HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT HAD NOT HAD AN ANNUAL INSPECTION SINCE JAN 1985.
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: 4,033 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 243 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25,501 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 16, 1985; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,710 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PTV Porterville CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from VIS, 40 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.