- Date
- July 2, 1990, 20:40 local (Jul 3, 1990, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Ashland, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8326VChampion 7GCAA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900702023539A
- Case key
- 14458
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to adequately preflight the airplane prior to takeoff. Resulting in a fuel leak going undetected.
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
The pilot reported prior to takeoff the fuel quantity was visually checked and found to be 30 gallons. Fifteen stop and go landings were performed after which a break was taken. Upon resuming the flight, the pilot reported the fuel quantity gauge indicated 2 needle widths below full. During the second stop and go landing after the break, the engine lost power during the turn from base to final. A forced landing was made in a wheat field 705 ft short of the approach end of the runway and the airplane nosed over. Post accident inspection revealed no fuel in either wing fuel tank. Evidence of fuel leakage was noted around the fuel strainer. After the accident, 2 gallons of fuel were added to the fuel tanks and the fuel gauge indicated 2 needle widths below full.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8326V
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCAA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 102
- Airframe hours
- 3,463
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas F. Hawks
- Registered owner
- Mark W. Moser
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1989 · 18 hours before
- Airport
- 3G4 · Ashland County, runway 36, 3,500 × 75 ft
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
- 68
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 29,000 total · 200 in this make and model · 27,000 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MFD, 13 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.
Other investigations on N8326V · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.