Bellanca 8GCBC N5060K

Summary

On 18 August 1987 at about 18:30 local time, a Bellanca 8GCBC registered N5060K was involved in an accident near Martha Vineyard, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

18 August 1987 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Martha Vineyard, Massachusetts, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Bellanca 8GCBC

Registration

N5060K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Bedford → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC87FA272

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.