Champion 8GCBC accident near Foley, AL
On August 4, 2018, a Champion 8GCBC (airplane) was involved in an accident near Foley, AL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 4, 2018
- Place
- Foley, AL
- Aircraft
- Champion 8GCBC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 30.374°N, 87.726°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180804X21915
Official records · ERA18FA208
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 4, 2018, about 1000 central daylight time, an American Champion 8GCBC, N424A, was destroyed when it impacted terrain at a private grass airport near Foley, Alabama. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The aerial advertising banner tow flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed the private airport about 0950. The banner-tow flight was planned to be conducted in a Cessna R-172E, which had side-by-side seating for the pilot and passenger. The pilot flew that airplane during the first banner-tow operation of the day, which began at 0820, but reported that the airplane developed a fuel pressure irregularity during the flight. As a result, after the flight ended at 0930, all subsequent banner-tow operations were switched to the American Champion 8GCBC, which did not have side-by-side seating but instead a front seat for the pilot and an aft seat for the passenger. A ground crewmember saw the pilot fuel the airplane with 30 gallons of fuel before the accident flight for a total fuel load of about 45 gallons. The pilot completed an uneventful preflight inspection before he and passenger boarded the airplane; the pilot was seated in the front seat, and the passenger was seated in the aft seat. The pilot then performed an engine runup and radioed that everything with the airplane was "green or perfect." Shortly after takeoff, the grapple hook was deployed from the airplane, and a ground c
Probable cause
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in a subsequent aerodynamic stall and spin at an altitude that was too low for recovery.
More accidents in AL
- Beech C99, Jul 10, 1991
- Cessna 421A, Jun 22, 1983
- Cessna 421C, Jul 9, 2011
- Piper PA 31, Aug 14, 2016
- Beech 95-B55B, Dec 5, 1992
Browse: Alabama · 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.
