# NTSB ANC22FA053: Champion 7EC, N4340C, Valdez, AK, July 12, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report - Date: July 11, 2022, 17:30 local (Jul 12, 2022, 01:30 UTC) - Place: Valdez, AK - Coordinates: 61.133798, -145.73117 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.1338&lon=-145.7312&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 105476 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC22FA053 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/105476/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105476 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC22FA053 ## Probable cause The pilot’s decision to continue visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions which resulted in loss of control and collision with terrain. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Ceiling/visibility/precip: low ceiling](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03035010): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Decision related to condition (probable cause); cases with it: [Champion 7EC, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03035010/cases.md?model=21101NM), [All aircraft, 190 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03035010/cases.md) - [Experience/qualifications: total experience](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031015): Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Champion 7EC, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031015/cases.md?model=21101NM), [All aircraft, 126 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02031015/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120) (defining event); cases with it: [Champion 7EC, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120/sequence.md?model=21101NM), [All aircraft, 1,074 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120/sequence.md) ## Analysis The student pilot was conducting a solo cross-country flight when he did not arrive at his destination as expected. The wreckage was located three days later at an elevation of about 2,560 ft mean sea level in an area of tundra and rock-covered terrain. Examination indicated that the airplane impacted terrain in a near-vertical attitude. There were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, and the propeller displayed evidence that the engine was producing power at the time of impact. Multiple witnesses along the route of flight reported seeing the airplane flying just above the trees in very poor weather conditions. Weather camera images taken near the accident site around the time of the accident showed near-zero visibility and clouds near the surface. Although these conditions had been forecast, there was no record of the pilot obtaining weather information from an access-controlled source before he departed on the flight. Review of the pilot’s flight training history and endorsements revealed that he did not possess a valid solo cross-country endorsement for the accident flight. The pilot’s flight instructor had not provided any instruction in flight by reference to instruments because the pilot’s airplane was not equipped for instrument flight. Although toxicology testing of the pilot indicated that he had used cannabis at some point before the accident, given that no psychoactive compounds were identified in blood and that urine and blood concentrations of the inactive metabolite, THC-COOH, do not necessarily reflect recent use, it is unlikely that the pilot’s use of cannabis contributed to the accident. Based on the wreckage signature and weather at the time of the accident, the pilot likely lost control of the airplane while maneuvering after encountering near-zero visibility in the dense cloud cover. ## Factual narrative On July 11, 2022, about 1730 Alaska daylight time, a Champion 7EC airplane, N4340C, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident about 20 miles northeast of Valdez, Alaska. The student pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed from Valdez Pioneer Field Airport (VDZ), Valdez, and was returning to a private airstrip in Sutton, Alaska. When the pilot did not arrive in Sutton, family and friends reported the airplane overdue. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert notice at 2246, and search personnel from the Civil Air Patrol, Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Air National Guard, and the U.S. Coast Guard, along with several volunteers, searched for the overdue airplane. Due to poor weather conditions along the anticipated flight route and the lack of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal, the wreckage was not located until July 14th in an area known as Thompson Pass, at an elevation of about 2,560 ft mean sea level. Multiple witnesses along the route of flight reported seeing the airplane flying just above the trees in very poor weather conditions. Toxicology testing indicated that the pilot had used cannabis some time before the accident; however, neither the primary psychoactive compound, THC, nor its short-lived psychoactive metabolite, 11-hydroxy-delta-9-THC, were detected in his blood or urine. The non-psychoactive metabolite, THC-COOH, was detected in blood and urine at very low levels. An AIRMET Sierra advisory was issued at 1206, valid for the accident site at the accident time, that forecast mountain obscuration conditions due to clouds and precipitation. The Area Forecast valid for the accident site at the accident time was issued at 1204 and forecast few clouds at 600 ft above ground level (agl), with broken clouds at 3,000 agl. After 1600, the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF) for VDZ expected variable wind at 3 knots, 3 miles visibility, light rain, mist, few clouds at 800 ft agl, a broken ceiling at 1,500 ft agl, overcast clouds at 8,000 ft agl, and cloud tops at 18,000 ft with occasional light rain. The accident pilot did not request nor receive weather information from FAA Flight Services or ForeFlight. A search of archived ForeFlight information indicated that the accident pilot did have a ForeFlight account, which recorded several route string combinations retrieved before the accident flight. It is unknown what, if any, additional weather information the accident pilot viewed before or during the accident flight.An FAA weather camera near the accident site showed near-zero visibility and a cloud layer near the surface (see Figure 1), when compared to the clear day image from the same camera. (see Figure 2.) Figure 1. Weather camera at Thompson Pass, AK Figure 2. Clear day visual of Thompson Pass camera The student pilot had a solo cross-country endorsement dated March 21, 2022, with limitations of 2,500-ftcloud ceiling, 10 knots of wind, and 5 statute miles visibility; the endorsement expired on June 29, 2022. The pilot’s flight instructor stated that he did not provide any flight planning training for a flight to Valdez and the pilot did not have a cross-country solo endorsement for a flight to Valdez. The instructor had not provided any instruction in flight by reference to instruments to the accident pilot because the pilot’s airplane was not equipped for instrument flight. The airplane impacted an area of tundra and rock-covered terrain in a near-vertical attitude. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces. The right aileron cable was separated near the upper pulley in the cockpit, consistent with tension overload. The fuselage had numerous broken frame tubes consistent with impact damage. Fuselage was detached from the wings at the wing attachment points and the firewall. The fuselage came to rest inverted with the tail 90 degrees to the right of the direction of travel. Both wings displayed leading edge impact damage. Both ends of the propeller were curled back toward the spinner with rotational scratches/scoring along the cambered side of the blade. There was evidence of fuel blight and a strong smell of fuel at the accident site. The exhaust, induction, and fuel systems were crushed from impact. Both magnetos remained attached to the engine with no damage. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4340C](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4340C), registered now, S/N 7EC-356, built 1955 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CHAMPION 7EC - Registry model: [Champion 7EC](https://openairdocs.org/model/champion-7ec) (registry code 21101NM) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C90 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c90-series) (registry code 17009, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 7EC-356 - Year built: 1955 - Engines: CONT MOTOR C90 SERIES 95 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Unknown, May 28, 2022 - Departed: VDZ, Valdez, AK - Destination: Sutton, AK - Equipment: None ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 38; injuries: fatal; student; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: front; toxicology performed; flight hours: 20 total, 20 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 260° at 11 knots - Visibility: 7 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 3,100 ft overcast - Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 29.93 inHg - Observed at: PAVD, 15 nm away - METAR: PAVD 120056Z COR 26011KT 7SM -RA FEW015 OVC031 14/14 A2993 RMK AO2 SLP135 P0002 T01390139 $ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20220711011819A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220711011819A), Jul 11, 2022: Champion 7EC, Valdez, AK, Destroyed, 1 fatal. On July 11, 2022 at approximately 1730 adt [privacy data omitted], a CH7A Champion single engine aircraft crashed in the vicinity of thompson pass Alaska… ## Docket (13 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 31, 2024, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105476. 44.0 MB in all. - Medical factual (item 1, PDF, 4 pages, 158 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14579551&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ANC22FA053_Valdez_AK_Medical_Factual_FINAL_101222-Rel.pdf - Weather factual report (item 2, PDF, 26 pages, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14588727&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ANC22FA053_weatherfactualSuffernfinal-Rel.pdf - Weather - attachment 1 (item 3, CSV, 10 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14588058&FileExtension=csv&FileName=attachment1_K55WC-Rel.csv - Weather - attachment 2 (item 4, CSV, 14 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14589118&FileExtension=csv&FileName=attachment2_RHVA2-Rel.csv - Weather - attachment 3 (item 5, CSV, 2 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14588737&FileExtension=csv&FileName=attachment3_UPPA2-Rel.csv - Weather - attachment 4 (item 6, PDF, 4 pages, 727 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14588957&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=attachment4_AK_Thompson_case_20220712_0130UTC_YJNoh-CIRA-Rel.pdf - Weather - attachment 5 (item 7, GIF, 19.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14588642&FileExtension=gif&FileName=attachment5_animationprovidedbyCIRA_cira-rammb-slider---goes-17---full_disk---geocolor-opacity-100---20220712004031-20220712020031-Rel.gif - Weather - attachment 6 (item 8, GIF, 13.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14589056&FileExtension=gif&FileName=attachment6_animation_wxradar_0_5degree0102to0150utc-Rel.gif - Weather - attachment 7 (item 9, ZIP, 2.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14588820&FileExtension=zip&FileName=attachment7_20220711%20Thompson%20Pass%20AAWU%20Graphics-Rel.zip - Weather - attachment 8 (item 10, ZIP, 5.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14589128&FileExtension=zip&FileName=attachment8_FAAwxcameradata-Rel.zip - Weather - attachment 9 (item 11, PDF, 2 pages, 146 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14588076&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=attachment9_anc22fa053foreflight_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Witness statements (item 12, PDF, 3 pages, 127 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14939525&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ANC22FA053%20Combined%20Witiness%20statements_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Autopsy memorandum (item 13, PDF, 1 page, 196 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14940040&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Memorandum%20For%20Record%20Autopsy%20pilot-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.