Champion 7FC accident near Bellefontaine, Ohio, March 22, 1987
On March 22, 1987 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Champion 7FC, registered N90398, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bellefontaine, Ohio (Bellefontaine Municipal airport). It was a personal 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
- March 22, 1987 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bellefontaine, Ohio · Bellefontaine Municipal · 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
- N90398 · no longer on the register · serial 7FC-128
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS LANDED ON RWY 04 WITH THE WIND FROM THE EAST AT EIGHT KTS. THE FLIGHT WAS THE FIRST SOLO IN A TAIL WHEEL EQUIPPED ACFT FOR THE PLT. HE HAD OBTAINED NO FORMAL INSTRUCTION IN A TAIL WHEEL ACFT BUT HAD FLOWN WITH A FRIEND. ON LANDING THE ACFT BOUNCED, TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN, AND YAWED RIGHT. THE ACFT RAN OFF THE RWY RIGHT SIDE AND COLLIDED WITH TREE. TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENT THE PLT RECOMMENDED OBTAINING ADDITIONAL TRAINING.
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: 93 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 62 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,841 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 22, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 4,400 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from DAY, 45 miles away
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.