- Date
- December 25, 1987, 13:38 local (18:38 UTC)
- Place
- Keymar, MD
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N11089Champion 7ECA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871225071699A
- Case key
- 11356
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Witnesses heard and observed the aircraft takeoff, bank to the left, and nose down into the adjoining dirt field with no change in engine sound. Exam of the wreckage revealed that an elevator cable had separated at a point where grounding strap was found to be hanging loose from the battery box. Both the cable and the strap were found to have evidence of arcing and each contained elements associated with the other in the area where the arcing damage was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11089
- Reported as
- Champion 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 109
- Airframe hours
- 1,519
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sale Reported Status
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 17, 1987 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- MD42
- Airport
- MD42 · Keymar, runway 23, 1,875 × 120 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,135 total · 250 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BWI, 38 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.