Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Panama City, Florida, June 8, 1985
On June 8, 1985 at about 5:02 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N53925, was substantially damaged in an accident near Panama City, Florida (Panama City airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- June 8, 1985 · about 5:02 pm local time
- Place
- Panama City, Florida · Panama City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N53925 · no longer on the register · serial 195-76
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT WHILE TAKING OFF IN A X-WIND HE LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT. THE ACFT CONTACTED THE LIP OF A LARGE DRAINAGE DITCH, CARTWHEELED 180 DEGS TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,814 hours in all; 703 in this make and model; 143 in the last 90 days; 5,208 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 14, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 6,008 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:04 pm from TLH, 70 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 N53925 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.