Champion 7EC N9061B

Summary

On 13 September 1996 at about 02:00 local time, a Champion 7EC registered N9061B was involved in an accident near May Creek, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 September 1996 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

May Creek, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

55.9205, -159.4902

Aircraft

Champion 7EC

Registration

N9061B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chitina → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC96FA158

2 people died.

failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering and/or flying at low altitude, which resulted in a stall and collision with the terrain. A factor relating to the accident was: the pilot allowed the weight and balance (aft center-of-gravity) limitation to be exceeded.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and the sole passenger departed on a sheep hunting trip in remote mountainous terrain. The flight did not return and was reported overdue 4 days later. Search personnel located a weak ELT signal on the 5th day and the wreckage was located at 5,300 feet mean sea level. The airplane, powered by a 90 horsepower engine, was found heavily loaded with hunting and camping equipment. Center of gravity (CG) calculations, not including any fuel calculation, indicated the airplane was loaded beyond the aft CG limit. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction was found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.