Bellanca 7GBC accident near Middleboro, Massachusetts, April 18, 1983
On April 18, 1983 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GBC, registered N4163Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Middleboro, Massachusetts (Middleboro airport). It was a personal 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
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
- April 18, 1983 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Middleboro, Massachusetts · Middleboro
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GBC · all 7GBCs on the register
- Registration
- N4163Y · registry record · serial 959-77
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY AFTER EXPERIENCING A POWER LOSS ON THE APPROACH. THE PILOT HAD CARBURETOR HEAT ON AND WHEN HE EXPERIENCED A DOWNDRAFT ON FINAL HE SAID HE OPENED THE THROTTLE AND THE ENGINE QUIT. THE ACFT WAS LANDED IN THE BUSHES SHORT OF THE RUNWAY WHERE IT NOSED OVER.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 460 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1982; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Middlebora MA at 1:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 2,850 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.