Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Gorman, California, May 13, 1998
On May 13, 1998 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N11867, was destroyed in an accident near Gorman, California. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and an inadvertent stall while attempting to reverse direction in low cloud conditions in mountainous terrain
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 1998 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Gorman, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N11867 · no longer on the register · serial 336-72
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Ground witnesses observed the aircraft flying uphill in mountainous terrain below the clouds at an estimated 100 to 200 feet above the ground in a northerly direction. The aircraft impacted an upsloping hill heading in a westerly direction. The wreckage was confined in one area with little or no forward movement. The examination of the engine found the right magneto to be inoperative.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,300 hours in all; 12,000 in this make and model; 13,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23,563 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 28, 1998; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,080 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SZP Santa Paula CA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: L-45 Bakersfield CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; scat at 200 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.