Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Wilmot, New Hampshire, September 8, 1984
On September 8, 1984 at about 2:54 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N86859, was destroyed in an accident near Wilmot, New Hampshire (Unknown airport). It was a personal 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
- September 8, 1984 · about 2:54 pm local time
- Place
- Wilmot, New Hampshire · Unknown
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N86859 · no longer on the register · serial 7/74
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES SAW A RT WING SECTION SEPARATE WHEN THE ACFT WAS IN A LOOP. THE ACFT DESCENDED AND CRASHED AFTERWARDS. THE INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THE PILOT HAD PREVIOUS AEROBATIC EXPERIENCE IN GLIDERS. NO RECORDS WERE DISCLOSED REVEALING PILOT FLIGHT TIME IN POWERED ACFT. THE ACFT WAS PLACARDED FOR NO LOOPS. THE ACFT WAS NOT AEROBATIC CERTIFIED.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 841 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 718 as pilot in command; 66 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 435 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 1984; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Avco Lycoming O-360-C2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: New London NH at 2:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from LEB, 25 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.