Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Holdrege, Nebraska, July 8, 1987
On July 8, 1987 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N87099, was destroyed in an accident near Holdrege, Nebraska. It was an executive or corporate flight 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
- July 8, 1987 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Holdrege, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N87099 · no longer on the register · serial 67-74
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMING A LOOP WHEN THE LEFT WING FAILED UPWARD AND REARWARD CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO PLUMMET TO THE GROUND, OUT OF CONTROL. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN IN TROUBLE DURING THE LOOP ENTRY AND THROUGHOUT THE MANEUVER. SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE ON-SITE INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE, PIECES OF THE FAILED LEFT WING WERE FOUND BY AN AIRPORT NEIGHBOR ON HIS FARM PROPERTY.
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: 4,846 hours in all; 4,685 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,063 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 11, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HDE at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from EAR, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.