# Accident 20180804009979A: American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC, Foley, AL, August 4, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 4, 2018, 10:05 local time
- Place: Foley, AL
- Airport: Irwin Farms
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.3742° N, 87.7264° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.3742&lon=-87.7264&mi=10
- Aircraft: N424A, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N424A-2022-03-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: American Champion 8GCBC (registry code 2121005, https://openairdocs.org/model/american-champion-8gcbc) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G (registry code 42284, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-c1g) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 8GCBC
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360-C1G
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,558 total, 256 in this make and model, 45 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA18FA208](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18FA208) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180804009979A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

EXPERIENCED GROUND CREW WITNESS OBSERVED AIRCRAFT PICK UP A LARGE BANNER AND CLIMB STEEPLY IN A NORMAL MANNER TO RAISE BANNER FROM THE GROUND.  AT APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET AGL, AT THE TOP OF THE CLIMB AND AS THE BANNER WAS FULLY LIFTED OFF THE GROUND, THE AIRCRAFT BANKED MOMENTARILY TO THE RIGHT. THE NOSE WAS OBSERVED TO BEGIN TO FALL AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A FLAT SPIN. PILOT RELEASED THE BANNER.  THE AIRCRAFT COMPLETED AT LEAST THREE FLAT ROTATIONS AND THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A FLAT ATTITUDE AT APPROXIMATELY 750' SOUTHWEST OF THE BANNER POLE LOCATION.  WITHIN MOMENTS THE AIRCRAFT CAUGHT FIRE.  WITNESS WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE AIRCRAFT IN TIME TO EXTRACATE EITHER THE PILOT OR PASSENGER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA18FA208](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18FA208), Aug 4, 2018: Champion 8GCBC (N424A), Foley, AL, destroyed, 2 fatal. 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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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