Cameron D-50 incident near Seattle, Washington, September 7, 1986
On September 7, 1986 at about 10:46 pm local time, a Cameron D-50 (airship), registered GBMCT, suffered minor damage in an incident near Seattle, Washington. 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 incident. 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 7, 1986 · about 10:46 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cameron D-50
- Registration
- GBMCT · no longer on the register · serial 1024
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT PLT AND GND CREW WERE CONDUCTING GND HANDLING AND MOORING PROCEDURES. THE PLAN WAS TO ASCEND ABOUT 10 FT AGL OVER THE FLD. THE FLD WAS IN A DEPRESSION SURROUNDED BY TALL TREES AND SE OF A 400 FT AGL RADIO TWR. DURING LIFT OFF THE GND CREW HELD THE ACFT DOWN WHILE THE PLT HEATED THE BAG. THE 'BURNS' AND 'HOLD DOWN' WAS LONGER THAN ANTICIPATED AND AT LAUNCH THE ACFT ROSE HIGHER THAN PLANNED. THE ALT WAS SUCH THAT THE ACFT ROSE ABOVE THE TREES AND STARTED BEING AFFECTED BY THE 5-7 KT WIND FROM THE SSE. THE PLT MANEUVERED THE ACFT N OF THE FLD AND NNW OF THE TWR. AFTER ASSURING THE ACFT WAS CONTROLLABLE WITH THE ENG AND BURNERS AN APCH WAS INITIATED BACK TO THE FLD. DURING THE APCH THE DESCENT WAS NOT AS ANTICIPATED AND THE ENG WAS SET TO IDLE. DURING THIS TIME THE WIND SHIFTED, PLACING THE ACFT UPWIND OF THE TWR. THE APCH WAS ABANDONED IN FAVOR OF MANEUVERING AWAY FROM THE TWR. THE ENG FAILED TO RESPOND AND A CLIMB OVER THE TWR WAS INITIATED. THE ACFTS NOSE GND LINE CAUGHT IN THE TWR.
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, foreign licence, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: airship; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,557 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 7,265 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 9, 1986; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cuyuna 430 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:48 pm from BFT, 5 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.