Bellanca 8KCAB accident near New River, Arizona, February 18, 1996
On February 18, 1996, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registered N2596Z, was destroyed in an accident near New River, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain proper altitude/clearance above the terrain, while performing an aerobatic maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 1996
- Place
- New River, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N2596Z · no longer on the register · serial 351-77
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot told the operator that he intended to go to the designated aerobatic practice area. The aircraft's wreckage was found the next morning several miles north of that location. The elevation at the aerobatic practice area was about 1,500 feet msl. Ground elevation at the accident site was estimated to be about 1,700 to 1,800 feet msl. The pilot was practicing in anticipation of continued video taping which was scheduled to resume within the next few days. For this recording session, there were plans to use a ground positioned video camera. In the previous video, a cockpit positioned camera had been used for the recording. In that recording, the pilot had entered the maneuvers between 2,000 and 2,500 feet msl, generally descending between 200 to 400 feet in the course of a maneuver. The aircraft struck the ground in a 30-degree downward angle with forward airspeed.
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: 400 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 9 in the last 30 days; 400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 852 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1995; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-H1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GEU Glendale AZ at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from DVT, 14 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.