- Date
- September 10, 1983, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Berlin, MD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N90916Bellanca 8GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830910047859A
- Case key
- 5963
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft crashed into trees after the acfts landing gear became entangled in the banners tow bridle during an attempted banner pick-up. According to one witness who was a member of the banner crew on the field, the acft came in too low and caught the left landing gear in the bridle. The pilot began trying to shake the bridle off the wheel. The acft cleared the power lines and dipped its left wing. This released the banner but the right wing dipped and the plane disappeared in the trees. Another witness, a plt in another banner tow acft at 400 ft AGL said the wings banked left and right twicebefore the acft spun to the right into the trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90916
- Reported as
- Bellanca 8GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421-73
- Airframe hours
- 1,800
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ocean Aerial Ads
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 14, 1983 · 200 hours before
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 900 in this make and model · 900 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBY, 13 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.