Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The single engine airplane was flying from Hyder to Alert Bay when the pilot encountered poor weather conditions. Too low, the aircraft hit trees and crashed in a wooded area located on Salal Island, BC. The airplane was destroyed and both occupants were killed, among them Livingston Wernecke, explorer, scientist, and mine executive, who was returning from an investigation of the Riverside Tungsten mine near Hyder, Alaska.
Crew:
Charles Gropstis, pilot.
Passenger:
Livingston Wernecke.

Crash of a Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket in Panama City

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1938

Type of aircraft:

Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket

Operator:

Transportes Aéreos Gelabert

Registration:

RX-15

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Location:

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Circumstances:

Crashed on take off. Occupant fate unknown.

Crash of a Bellanca CH-400W Skyrocket into the Atlantic Ocean

Date & Time: Oct 7, 1936

Type of aircraft:

Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket

Operator:

Kurt V. O. Bjorkvall

Registration:

SE-AFG

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

New York – Stockholm

MSN:

307

YOM:

1935

Location:

Country:

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Circumstances:

The pilot departed Floyd Bennett Field Airport in New York on a transatlantic solo flight to Stockholm-Bromma. While over the North Atlantic and approaching the Irish coast, the airplane suffered an engine failure. The pilot ditch the airplane and was later rescued by the crew of a French trawler. The aircraft sank and was lost.

Probable cause:

Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket in Fillmore

Date & Time: May 7, 1935 at 1030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket

Operator:

Petrol Oil Corporation of Los Angeles

Registration:

NC547V

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Executive/Corporate/Business

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Los Angeles - Los Angeles

MSN:

605

YOM:

1935

Location:

Fillmore

California

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

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Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft departed Los Angeles in cloudy conditions (ceiling at 600 feet). The pilot was certain that visibility was better outside the city when few minutes later, he encountered foggy conditions. With a ceiling at 2,330 feet, he decided to get around the clouds and went into a canyon when the airplane impacted a hill side. All four occupants were seriously injured and the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces.

Probable cause:

It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was poor judgment on the part of the pilot for attempting this flight under weather conditions which existed at the time and for continuing flight up a canyon until engulfed in fog which could have been avoided and for attempting a turn in a canyon so narrow that there was not a reasonable expectancy of being able to complete the turn.

Crash of a Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket in the Atlantic Ocean: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 14, 1932

Type of aircraft:

Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket

Operator:

American Medical Researches

Registration:

NC796W

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Private

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

New York - Rome

MSN:

3004

YOM:

1930

Location:

Country:

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Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew departed Floyd Bennett Field at 0616LT on September 13 on a transatlantic flight to Rome, Italy. En route, the airplane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean some 650 km west of Cape Finisterre, Galicia. No trace of the aircraft named 'The American Nurse' nor the crew was ever found.
Crew:
William Ulbrich +2.