Bellanca 8GCBC accident near Martha Vineyard, Massachusetts, August 18, 1987
On August 18, 1987 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC, registered N5060K, was destroyed in an accident near Martha Vineyard, Massachusetts. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- August 18, 1987 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Martha Vineyard, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N5060K · no longer on the register · serial 329-79
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS INVOLVED IN COMMERICAL FISHING OPERATIONS AS A SPOTTER AND TO DIRECT THE CLOSING OF NETS AROUND SCHOOLS OF TUNA. WHILE DIRECTING THE CLOSING OF A NET, THE FISH BEING NETTED REVERSED COURSE AND STARTED TO ESCAPE FROM THE OPEN NET. THE PLT DOVE AT A STEEP ANGLE TOWARD THE WATER IN FRONT OF THE SCHOOL, APPARENTLY IN AN ATTEMPT TO TURN THE FISH BACK INTO THE NET. THE ACFT DESCENDED VERY LOW THEN PULLED UP ABRUPTLY. WITNESSES HEARD A LOUD CRACK AS THE ACFT BEGAN TO CLIMB, OBSERVED THE LEFT WING TO COLLAPSE REARWARD, AND THE ACFT TO SPIN INTO THE OCEAN. THE WITNESSES DID NOT SEE THE ACFT CONTACT THE WATER BEFORE HEARING THE CRACK AND OBSERVING THE DMGD WING. NEITHER THE WRECKAGE NOR THE PILOT'S BODY WERE RECOVERED. FISH SPOTTING IS NORMALLY CONDUCTED AT OR ABOVE 1000 FT AGL.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,800 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 603 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C2E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWB New Bedford MA at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N5060K 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.