Champion 7KCAB accident near Descanso, CA
On August 22, 2018, a Champion 7KCAB (airplane) was involved in an accident near Descanso, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 22, 2018
- Place
- Descanso, CA
- Aircraft
- Champion 7KCAB · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.958°N, 116.698°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180823X23026
Official records · WPR18FA237
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Radar Data-Recording: Recording (MP4), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
On August 22, 2018, about 1615 Pacific daylight time, a Champion 7KCAB, N1682G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident about 8 miles northwest of Descanso, California. The flight instructor (FI), and a pilot receiving instruction (PRI) were fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the FI as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. A review of radar data showed the airplane depart Gillespie Field Airport (SEE), San Diego/El Cajon, California and proceed in a northeasterly heading, climbing to about 3,200 ft above ground level (agl) across rising terrain. About 15 minutes into the flight, the radar data showed the airplane in a slight left turn at about 2,400 ft agl then enter a right 360o decreasing turn before dropping off radar. The last radar hit was about 1,500 ft above the accident site. (See Figure 1) Figure 1-Radar flight track and accident site. A pilot who flew with the instructor earlier on the day of the accident, said that the instructor told him that he had a flight in the afternoon and was not looking forward to the spin training that was planned. PERSONNEL INFORMATION Flight Instructor The instructor's logbook was not recovered. On the application for his most recent medical certificate dated August 28, 2017, he did not report any flight experience. In his previous application for a medical certificate, dated June 19, 2013, he reported 7,120 total hours of flight experience. Pilot Receiving Instruction On the application for his most recent medical certificate dated August 26, 2014, he reported 0 hours of
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to enter a spin without sufficient altitude to recover. Also causal to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight weight and balance calculations, which placed the airplane outside the normal and acrobatic category flight envelope, effecting the spin and recovery characteristics.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
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.
