- Date
- August 18, 1987, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Martha Vineyard, MA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5060KBellanca 8GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870818079249A
- Case key
- 30521
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 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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5060K
- Reported as
- Bellanca 8GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 329-79
- Airframe hours
- 603
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C2E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sea Queen Fishing, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 1987
- Departed
- EWB · New Bedford, MA
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,800 total · 300 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5060K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.