Champion 7AC accident near La Porte, CA
On June 12, 2004, a Champion 7AC (airplane) was involved in an accident near La Porte, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 12, 2004
- Place
- La Porte, CA
- Aircraft
- Champion 7AC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.791°N, 120.804°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040616X00816
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 12, 2004, approximately 1400 Pacific daylight time, a Champion 7AC (Aeronca Champ) airplane, N81471, impacted trees and mountainous terrain while maneuvering near La Porte, California. The student pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot and a partner owned the airplane. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The airplane departed from Quincy, California, at an unknown time, and was destined for Susanville, California. According to acquaintances of the pilot, he departed his home base in Auburn, Washington, on June 11, 2004, and flew to Redding, California. The pilot fueled the accident airplane in Redding with 8.0 gallons of 100 LL aviation gasoline on the morning of the 12th. The pilot then flew the airplane to the Gansner Field Airport in Quincy, where he added 10.6 gallons of 100 LL aviation gasoline at 1016. Personnel located at Gansner Field observed the pilot around 1200, attaching some type of photographing equipment to the right wing of the airplane. According to the pilot's spouse, the pilot was planning to maneuver the airplane over their mine in an effort to document it with photographs. Local law enforcement personnel received word of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal at 1936, on the 12th. The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and local law enforcement personnel initiated search efforts, and at 0942 on the 13th, they located the accident site at 39 degrees 47.481 minutes north latitude and 120 degrees 48.213 west lon
Probable cause
the student pilot's failure to maintain clearance with trees while flying along a mountainous ravine.
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Browse: California · Champion 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.
