Champion 7EC accident near Seward, Alaska, September 11, 1992
On September 11, 1992 at about 5:12 am local time, a Champion 7EC, registered N4362C, was destroyed in an accident near Seward, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE ALTITUDE IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, IN MODERATE-TO-SEVERE TURBULENT CONDITIONS, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL. IN ADDITION, THE PILOT WAS PHYSICALLY IMPAIRED DUE TO ALCOHOL. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN CURRENT OR FORECAST WEATHER FOR THE AREA, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, AND THE EXISTING TURBULENT AND WINDY CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1992 · about 5:12 am local time
- Place
- Seward, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7EC · all 7ECs on the register
- Registration
- N4362C · registry record · serial 7EC-385
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 2112 AN ELT SIGNAL WAS RECEIVED BY THE SEARCH AND RESCUE SATELLITE SYSTEM (SARSAT). AT 0100 SAR ACFT LOCATED THE SIGNAL IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. MODERATE-TO-SEVERE TURBULENCE & DARKNESS PREVENTED A VISUAL SIGHTING. AT 0630 THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND; THE AIRPLANE HAD IMPACTED THE SIDE OF A STEEP MOUNTAIN AT THE 3,700-FT LEVEL. NO SHOULDER HARNESSES WERE INSTALLED IN THE AIRPLANE; THE PILOT HAD BEEN EJECTED, AND THE INJURED PAX HAD REMAINED IN HIS SEAT. BOTH DIED DUE TO HYPOTHERMIA. A LOADED RIFLE WITH A TELESCOPE WAS FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE. IT HAD ONE ROUND IN THE CHAMBER & 3 ROUNDS IN THE MAGAZINE. THE SAFETY WAS ON. APRX 20 MOUNTAIN GOATS WERE SIGHTED ON THE ALPINE AREA NEAR THE CRASH SITE BY INVESTIGATORS. AN AIRMET WAS IN EFFECT FOR OCCASIONAL MODERATE, ISOLATED SEVERE TURBULENCE BELOW 8,000 FT, WITHIN 2,000 FT OF TERRAIN. THE PILOT'S TOXICOLOGICAL FINDINGS WERE 0.121% FOR BLOOD ALCOHOL AND 0.267% FOR URINE ALCOHOL. THE PILOT'S WIFE STATED THAT HE DID NOT POSSESS A PILOT'S LICENSE, AND HAD BEEN 'FLYING FOR YEARS.'
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
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bear Creek AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 14 knots, gusting 25
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.