Bellanca 7GCAA accident near Coltsneck, New Jersey, August 15, 1982
On August 15, 1982 at about 6:49 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCAA, registered N87108, was destroyed in an accident near Coltsneck, New Jersey (Colts Neck airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 15, 1982 · about 6:49 pm local time
- Place
- Coltsneck, New Jersey · Colts Neck
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N87108 · no longer on the register · serial 29874
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MISSED A BANNER PICK-UP, PULLED UP ABRUPTLY AND LEVELED OFF AT ABOUT 350 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE PILOT LOWERED THE NOSE WHILE IN A RIGHT TURN IN AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT. HE STATED THAT ENGINE POWER WAS RESTORED WHILE IN THE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE BUT RECOVERY COULD NOT BE ACCOMPLISHED PRIOR TO IMPACT. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE FAILED TO REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF PRE-ACCIDENT MALFUNCTION WHICH WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE LOSS OF 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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 617 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 369 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,359 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 126 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming O-320-A2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N61 Coltsneck NJ at 2:45 pm
- Destination: N61 Coltsneck NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 183°F (84°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.