Champion 7GCBC accident near Eatonville, WA
On July 7, 2024, a Champion 7GCBC (airplane) was involved in an accident near Eatonville, WA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 7, 2024
- Place
- Eatonville, WA
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCBC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 46.859°N, 122.258°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240707194619
Official records · WPR24FA226
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 6, 2024, at about 2122 Pacific daylight time, a Champion 7GCBC airplane, N3464D, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Swanson Airport (2W3), Eatonville, Washington. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot’s wife, the pilot had volunteered to take the passenger, an acquaintance, on a local flight. Despite having an obscured view of the runway, she recalled that the airplane departed about one-quarter to one-third down the runway. She noted that engine run-up sounded normal. A witness (witness 1 in figure 1 below), located about 1 mile southwest of the airport, observed the airplane after it passed the departure end of runway 16 and tracked the runway heading. He recalled that the climbout appeared to be normal until about 0.5 to 1 mile south of the runway when the airplane was about 1,200 to 1,300 ft mean sea level (msl). At this time the airplane abruptly banked left about 45°, which was immediately followed by a quick right bank. The airplane entered a spin and did not recover. Another witness (witness 2 in figure 1 below), who was located about 500 ft southwest of the departure end of runway 16 at 2W3, stated that he heard the airplane perform an engine run-up and then take off. The airplane overflew his location at an altitude that was lower than he expected. The witness added that after the airplane flew out of his line of sight, he heard the airplane’s engine “cut out,” followed by the sound of
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering to avoid trees, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
More accidents in WA
- Dehavilland DHC-3, Sep 4, 2022
- Cessna 208B, Oct 8, 2007
- Cessna 172P, Dec 7, 1991
- Piper PA-32-260, Jul 29, 2001
- Beech A60, Nov 21, 1992
Browse: Washington · 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.
