Bellanca 8KCAB accident near Mound House, Nevada, July 25, 1996
On July 25, 1996 at about 4:06 pm local time, a Bellanca 8KCAB, registered N57438, was destroyed in an accident near Mound House, Nevada. It was an instructional 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 flight instructor's improper in-flight planning/decision by allowing the student pilot to get too low during a simulated emergency landing before initiating a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1996 · about 4:06 pm local time
- Place
- Mound House, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N57438 · no longer on the register · serial 89-73
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor pilot (CFI) reduced power to simulate an emergency landing and instructed the student to simulate a forced landing approach to a dirt road. The CFI said that he allowed the student to get too low, and when he assumed the controls, the airplane struck the ground and bounced. Ground witnesses said that when the airplane struck the ground, the engine power increased, and the airplane entered into a high angle of attack and a steep right banking attitude. The airplane struck the top of a tree about 1/4 mile from the initial touchdown point, then it bounced twice and collided with a concrete barrier. The airplane flipped over the barrier and erupted into flames. Wreckage examination disclosed no evidence of any preimpact malfunctions or failures.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 24,900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 9, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-320-E1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: O04 Carson City NV at 3:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.