Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Navarre, Florida, August 8, 1984
On August 8, 1984 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N50402, was destroyed in an accident near Navarre, Florida (Ft. Walton Beach airport). It was an other work-use flight 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
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 8, 1984 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Navarre, Florida · Ft. Walton Beach
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N50402 · no longer on the register · serial 296-79
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT WAS ENGAGED IN BANNER TOW PICK UP. PRIOR TO ENGAGING PICK UP LINE, ACFT STRUCK GROUND NOSE DOWN. GROUND SCARS RELATED TO IMPACT DAMAGE SHOW WINGS ROTATED 180 DEGREES FROM PATH OF FLIGHT PRIOR TO IMPACT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,902 hours in all; 1,561 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 1,632 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,036 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1984; 258 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1J9 Navarre FL at 4:08 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,300 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from PNS, 18 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.
Other NTSB records under N50402 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.