Champion 7FC accident near Louisville, Kentucky, February 9, 1985
On February 9, 1985 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Champion 7FC, registered N7507E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Louisville, Kentucky (Bluelick airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 1985 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Louisville, Kentucky · Bluelick · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7FC · all 7FCs on the register
- Registration
- N7507E · registry record · serial 7FC-227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT DEPARTED FROM A SNOW COVERED RWY & PROCEEDED ON A SOLO X-COUNTRY. WHEN HE RETURNED, THE NOSEWHEEL BROKE THRU THE SNOW CRUSTED SURFACE & COLLAPSED, THEN THE ACFT NOSED OVER. THE PLT SAID THERE WERE RUTS ON THE RWY FROM OTHER ACFT WHICH CAUSED HIS PLANE TO SWERVE LEFT. THE NOSE STRUT, PN 3-1055, FAILED ABOVE THE NOSEWHEEL IN THE AREA OF THE OLEO EXTENSION. PART OF THE FRACTURE AREA WAS RUSTED.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 50 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,542 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1984; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRH French Lick IN at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from LOU
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.