Bellanca 7GCBC accident near Telluride, CO
On September 14, 1997, a Bellanca 7GCBC (airplane) was involved in an accident near Telluride, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- September 14, 1997
- Place
- Telluride, CO
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 7GCBC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.940°N, 107.899°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08831
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 14, 1997, approximately 1615 mountain daylight time, a Bellanca 7GCBC, N86708, was destroyed when it collided with terrain shortly after takeoff at Telluride, Colorado. The commercial-rated flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. Jim Prendergast, the airport's line service technician, said the pilot, Ernest Thompson, had asked him to service N86708 with 12 gallons of fuel. This filled both tanks to capacity. Shelby Evans, one of Mr. Thompson's flight students, watched the two pilots prepare for departure. She said the battery in the airplane was so weak that Ernest Thompson had to turn the propeller by hand in order to start the engine. Ernest Thompson told his son, Jason, a student pilot, that he could fly the airplane. Ms. Evans observed Jason Thompson get in the front seat and Ernest Thompson get in the rear seat. Both Mr. Prendergast and Ms. Evans watched the airplane taxi out to runway 27. It was followed by a Mesa Airlines Beech 1900. John Christensen, the captain of Mesa Airlines Flight 5012, said that as he taxied to the end of runway 27, he noticed N86708 in the run-up area. When its pilot announced he was ready for takeoff, he called him on the radio and asked him for his direction of flight. The pilot replied he was going to depart straight ahead, but would remain north of the runway. Mr. Prendergast also heard this
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while climbing after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and collision with terrain. Factors relating to the accident included: the pilot allowing the maximum gross weight limit of the airplane to be exceeded, the high density altitude, and the pilot's intentional steep climb after takeoff.
More accidents in CO
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, Nov 15, 1987
- Grumman Gulfstream III, Mar 30, 2001
- Beech 1900, Jan 28, 2026
- Douglas DC3, Mar 9, 2019
- Piper PA-31-350, Dec 3, 2014
Browse: Colorado · Bellanca aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
