Champion 7AC accident near Coldfoot, Alaska, June 11, 1988
On June 11, 1988, a Champion 7AC, registered N81725, was destroyed in an accident near Coldfoot, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNDETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 1988
- Place
- Coldfoot, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Champion 7AC · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N81725 · no longer on the register · serial 7AC344
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN MISSING SINCE JUNE 11, 1988, AND WAS LOCATED ON JULY 23, 1995 AT THE 3000 FOOT LEVEL OF A CANYON. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 180 FEET BELOW THE CREST OF A RIDGE, WHERE IT HAD BURNED AFTER IMPACT. ALL MAJOR PARTS OF THE AIRPLANE WERE LOCATED AT THE WRECKAGE SITE. THE LEFT WING WAS UNDAMAGED AND THE RIGHT WING SHOWED EXTENSIVE IMPACT DAMAGE. THE ENTIRE AIRPLANE WAS INVOLVED IN THE POSTIMPACT FIRE. BOTH PROPELLER BLADES HAD LEADING EDGE DAMAGE AND CHORDWISE SCORE MARKS. NO GROUND SCARS OR GROUND IMPACT MARKS WERE FOUND. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 142 hours in all; 41 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: AK28 Fairbanks AK at 9:30 am
- Destination: Chandalar Lake AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.