- Date
- August 16, 1991, 07:45 local (13:45 UTC)
- Place
- Townsend, MT
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1645GChampion 7GCAA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 5, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910816039819A
- Case key
- 41512
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 instructor pilot's not maintaining the power off stall speed resulting in a stall condition. A factor contributing to the accident was the lack of sufficient altitude to enable a successful recovery from the stall.
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
Subsequent to a simulated power loss and forced landing conducted by the pilot under instruction, the instructor pilot took control of the aircraft and commenced a demonstration of the altitude lost during an attempted turn back to the field. During the maneuver the instructor pilot allowed the airspeed to decay below the power off stall speed and the aircraft stalled. Insufficient altitude was available to enable a successful recovery before the aircraft collided with the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1645G
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCAA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 63
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Donald C. Dolan
- Registered owner
- Donald C. Dolan
- Departed
- HLN · Helena, MT
- Airport
- 8U9 · Canyon Ferry
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
- 42
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 685 total · 96 in this make and model · 631 as pilot in command · 95 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Observed at
- HLN, 19 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.