Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Colts Neck, New Jersey, March 9, 1985
On March 9, 1985 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N2558Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Colts Neck, New Jersey (Colts Neck airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- March 9, 1985 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Colts Neck, New Jersey · Colts Neck
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N2558Z · no longer on the register · serial 262-78
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RETURNED TO THE ARPT AFTER A GLIDER TOW FLT TO LAND. DURING A 3-POINT TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT HIT A RUT & BOUNCED IN THE AIR. THE PLT RECOVERED & MADE ANOTHER 3-POINT TOUCHDOWN, THEN HEARD A 'LOUD CRACK' & SAW THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR SEPARATE. HE STATED THAT BOTH TOUCHDOWNS WERE SMOOTH. AN EXAM REVEALED THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR HAD FAILED NEAR A U-BOLT ATTACH POINT.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 11,649 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 10,623 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,105 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1985; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,569 ft by 125 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.
Other NTSB records under N2558Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.