Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Columbus, Montana, September 4, 1999
On September 4, 1999 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, registered N8525, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, Montana (Columbus airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A wet runway surface was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 1999 · about 2:30 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Columbus, Montana · Columbus · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N8525 · no longer on the register · serial 448-73
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the landing roll on a wet runway surface, he applied braking action and the airplane skidded to the right and veered off the runway. The aircraft ground-looped and came to rest in the mud next to the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 422 hours in all; 21 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 525 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 1999; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6S8 Laurel MT at 2:00 pm
- Destination: 6S3
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; scat at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from BIL, 32 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8525: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Bellanca 7 Citabria 1,226 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Bellanca 2,698 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 27,311 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Woltermann Memorial · nearest airport
- Laurel Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,049 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA99LA154.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.