Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Panama City, Florida, June 18, 1987
On June 18, 1987 at about 5:58 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N7620S, was destroyed in an accident near Panama City, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- June 18, 1987 · about 5:58 pm local time
- Place
- Panama City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N7620S · no longer on the register · serial 206-76
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO CHECK OUT A NEW PLT IN BANNER TOWING OPERATIONS. THE FIRST FLT HAD BEEN COMPLETED, THE BANNER DROPPED & THE SECOND BANNER WAS ENGAGED. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT MAKE THE STEEP CLIMB AFTER PICK-UP NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH BANNER TOWING. THE ACFT WAS SEEN TO SLOW, WOBBLE, & FALL OFF TO THE RIGHT IN A SPIN FROM ABOUT 300 FT. ONE WITNESS STATED THAT THE SPIN WAS STOPPED JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. A LOOSE 1 GALLON THERMOS TYPE CONTAINER WAS FOUND ON THE FLOOR OF THE REAR COCKPIT. IT WAS NOT POSITIVELY DETERMINED WHETHER OR NOT THE CONTAINER HAD ANY BEARING ON THE ACCIDENT, CREATING AN INTERFERENCE OR DISTRACTION. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT & ENG REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,962 hours in all; 2,916 in this make and model; 159 in the last 90 days; 4,707 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,813 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 1986; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Walker Aviation Services,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PFN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from PFN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.