Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Pacoima, California, July 16, 1996
On July 16, 1996 at about 2:23 am local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N87107, was destroyed in an accident near Pacoima, California (Whiteman airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 1996 · about 2:23 am local time
- Place
- Pacoima, California · Whiteman · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N87107 · no longer on the register · serial 68-74
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The CFI had the airplane refueled in preparation for his student's BFR. The CFI and the student (a private pilot) departed, climbed to traffic pattern altitude, and entered the downwind leg. Abeam the control tower, the private pilot was issued a landing clearance and the pilot turned onto the base leg while the airplane descended. The CFI reported that when he instructed his student to decrease the descent rate, he realized that engine power was suddenly unavailable. The CFI took the controls, made a forced landing in a residential area, and collided with obstacles. The postimpact examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal evidence of fuel system contamination or blockages. The engine was successfully test run.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,863 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 76 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 2,608 as pilot in command; 779 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 899 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 12, 1996; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WHP at 2:20 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 4,120 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 am from WHP, 2 miles away
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.