- Date
- September 11, 1987, 15:35 local (22:35 UTC)
- Place
- Victorville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N85022Aeronca Champ 7AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870911051809A
- Case key
- 25687
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
While climbing out over a ridge, the instructor, who was sitting in back, heard his student yell something. The instructor looked out the front windscreen just in time to see powerlines. Simultaneously, the student pushed the stick forward to go under the power lines and the aircraft collided with the terrain. This information was provided by the instructor. The student cannot remember what happened. There were no mechanical problems reported. Winds were reported to be from 250 at 5 knots at the time and the instructor said that prior to the accident weather was not a problem. However, as they were climbing out over the ridge, the instructor thought he felt the aircraft sinking for an unknown reason.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N85022
- Reported as
- Aeronca Champ 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC-3747
- Airframe hours
- 3,684
- Engine
- Continental C-90-12, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Midfield Aviation
- Registered owner
- Donald J. Leary
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 13, 1987 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- APV · Apple Valley, CA
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,670 total · 37 in this make and model · 1,545 as pilot in command · 506 in the last 90 days · 194 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Observed at
- VCV, 11 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.