Plane Crash List

Champion 7ECA N4178Y

3 August 1997 · Easton, Maryland, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 3 August 1997 at about 12:15 local time, a Champion 7ECA registered N4178Y, operated by Fort Meade Flying Activity, was involved in an accident near Easton, Maryland, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 12:15
Classification
Accident
Location
Easton, Maryland, United States
Nearest airport
Easton (ESN)
Coordinates
38.7703, -76.0606
Aircraft
Champion 7ECA
Registration
N4178Y
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Fort Meade Flying Activity
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Anapolis → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
NYC97LA157

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

an inadequate weld repair, which resulted in insufficient structural strength of the left main gear.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he made a 3-point landing with no bounce, and immediately thereafter, the airplane swerved left. He corrected, and the airplane started to swerve right, in a tightening circle. The left wing scrapped the runway, and the left main landing gear collapsed under the fuselage. An FAA inspector reported that the landing gear failed at a weld. Corrosion was visible on a portion of the face of the fracture surface. There was no record of the weld in the airplane logbooks.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Champion 7 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
17 Oct 1997 Champion 7EC
CFOJT
Galata, Montana, United States - Minor injuries -
21 Sep 1997 Champion 7ECA
N1817G
Fairview, North Carolina, United States - No injuries -
6 Nov 1997 Champion 7ECA
N9556S
Hamilton, Georgia, United States William B. Chapman Fatal 1
5 Aug 1997 Champion 7KCAB
N5066X
Hampshire, Illinois, United States - No injuries -
19 Jan 1997 Champion 7-GCBC
N9677S
Creswell, Oregon, United States Cottage Grove Aviation Fatal 2
2 Feb 1997 Champion 7ECA
N11099
Bandon, Oregon, United States Frank's Flight Service Inc. No injuries -

All 1,471 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
19 Feb 1997 Piper PA-38-112
N2558
Nanjemoy, Maryland, United States Joseph Durda Minor injuries -
20 Feb 1997 Cessna 150
N11438
Clarksville, Maryland, United States - No injuries -
27 May 1997 Piper PA-28-140
N6927W
Baltimore, Maryland, United States - No injuries -
1 Jun 1997 Cessna 150
N22935
Elkton, Maryland, United States - No injuries -
1 Jan 1997 Cessna 150F
N8925S
Bittinger, Maryland, United States - Fatal 1
8 Jun 1997 Waco YMF
N34SK
Ocean City, Maryland, United States - No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States