Champion 7HC accident near Coldfoot, Alaska, August 16, 2015
On August 16, 2015 at about 2:30 am local time, a 1959 Champion 7HC, registered N8556E, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (change of cruise level) near Coldfoot, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and the pilot's failure to recognize conditions favorable for carburetor icing and apply use of carburetor heat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2015 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Coldfoot, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7HC NO SERIES, built 1959 · all 7HCs on the register
- Registration
- N8556E · no longer on the register · serial 7HC-5
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was climbing to cross a remote mountain pass when the airplane's engine lost partial power. The pilot turned the airplane to the left and the engine lost total power and started descending very quickly. The pilot attempted to make a forced landing to a road, but did not make it and landed the airplane in an area of rocks and a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage, and a postaccident fire then destroyed the airplane. Plotting temperature and dew point on a carburetor icing probability chart placed the conditions noted at the time of the accident as being probable for serious carburetor icing in cruise or climb power. The pilot stated that he did not use carburetor heat either during the climb, or after the engine lost power.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel related during enroute (change of cruise level) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of meteorologic cond › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Intake anti › ice, deice › Not used/operated
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 107 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 75 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 6, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,074 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2014; 40 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 350 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CXF Coldfoot AK
- Destination: GBH Galbraith Lake AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 2:36 pm from PAKP, 47 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on March 7, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.