Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Toms River, New Jersey, July 1, 2006
On July 1, 2006 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N50619, was substantially damaged in an accident near Toms River, New Jersey. It was a banner-towing flight 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
Carburetor icing, and the pilot's delayed application of carburetor heat, which resulted in a loss of engine power, and subsequent force landing. A factor in the accident was carburetor icing conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 2006 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Toms River, New Jersey · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N50619 · registry record · serial 1171-79
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Banner-towing flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, at an altitude of 1,000 feet, the airplane's engine lost power. The pilot applied full throttle; however, the engine failed to respond, and the airplane continued to lose altitude and airspeed. At an altitude of 800 feet, the pilot applied carburetor heat and looked for a place to land. He performed a forced landing on a road, during which the airplane impacted a road sign. Examination of the airplane revealed the throttle and carburetor heat controls were observed in the off position, and approximately 17 gallons of fuel was drained from the airplane, with no contamination observed. Fuel was also observed in the carburetor bowl, gascolator, and fuel lines. The throttle, mixture, and carburetor heat control linkages were connected and operated smoothly. The throttle and carburetor heat controls were observed in the off position. The engine was test run on the airframe. It started normally and was operated between 1500 and 1700 RPM. During the test run, operational checks of the magnetos, mixture and carburetor heat controls revealed no anomalies. Interpolation of a carburetor icing probability chart revealed that atmospheric conditions were conducive to "icing at glide or cruise power."
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,645 hours in all; 37 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 22 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LDJ Linden NJ at 4:00 pm
- Destination: LDJ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from WRI, 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.
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.