Bellanca 8-KCAB accident near Chatsworth, New Jersey, September 2, 1994
On September 2, 1994 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Bellanca 8-KCAB, registered N8670V, was destroyed in an accident near Chatsworth, New Jersey. It was a personal 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 pilot's inadequate preflight that failed to detect water- contaminated fuel which resulted in the loss of engine power and the pilot's decision to conduct flight at an altitude too low to initiate emergency procedures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1994 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- Chatsworth, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 8-KCAB · all 8-KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N8670V · no longer on the register · serial 177-75
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN HANGARED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS UNUSED. ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT FLEW THE AIRPLANE FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES AND REHANGARED IT. THE AIRPLANE REMAINED IN THE HANGAR FOR THE NEXT WEEK. THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT THE PILOT WASHED THE AIRPLANE AND REHANGARED IT. THAT AFTERNOON THE PILOT REMOVED THE AIRPLANE FROM THE HANGAR AND DEPARTED THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP. PERSONNEL AT THE AIRSTRIP COULD NOT CONFIRM IF A PREFLIGHT WAS ACCOMPLISHED OR FUEL SAMPLES WERE TAKEN. SEVERAL WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE PERFORM INSIDE LOOPS OVER THE PRIVATE AIRSTRIP, RECOVERING AT TREE TOP LEVEL. WHEN THE AIRPLANE REACHED INVERTED FLIGHT DURING THE THIRD LOOP, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE DROPPED. THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED, IMPACTED THE GROUND, AND WAS CONSUMED BY A POST CRASH FIRE. EXAMINATION REVEALED THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS INTACT FROM THE HEADER TANK TO THE INJECTOR NOZZLES. WATER WAS FOUND THROUGH OUT THE FUEL SYSTEM. NO OTHER ANOMALIES WERE NOTED IN THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,500 hours in all; 165 in this make and model; 640 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 601 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1993; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-320-E1B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: 7MY Mount Holly NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from WRI, 14 miles away
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.