Champion 7ECA N9620S

Summary

On 7 June 2010 at about 02:38 local time, a Champion 7ECA registered N9620S, operated by Keith A. Thorsgard, was involved in an accident near Northwood, North Dakota, 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.

Date

7 June 2010 at 02:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Northwood, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

47.7242, -97.5906

Aircraft

Champion 7ECA

Registration

N9620S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Keith A. Thorsgard

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Northwood → Northwood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN10CA307

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from the transmission wire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to locate and observe newborn calves on his ranch. While maneuvering at a low altitude the airplane collided with a transmission wire. He immediately made a forced landing to a nearby road, but the airplane slid off the road and impacted a ditch. The vertical stabilizer was substantially damaged during the wire strike and the fuselage and both wings were substantially damaged during the off-field landing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The pilot held an expired student pilot certificate and did not have a current medical certificate.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.