Champion 7GCBC accident near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, June 2, 1989
On June 2, 1989 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Champion 7GCBC, registered N1652G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (Barnstormer Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 IMPROPER INSTALLATION/MODIFICATION OF THE BANNER TOW SYSTEM, WHICH JAMMED THE RUDDER DURING A LANDING. THE WIND AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 1989 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina · Barnstormer Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N1652G · registry record · serial 122
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DROPPING A BANNER, THE PLT ELECTED TO MAKE A 3-POINT LNDG AT A SMALL PVT ARPT WITH THE WND GUSTING TO 15 KTS. HE RPRTD THAT JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT ENCTRD A DOWNDRAFT & HE INCREASED BACK PRESSURE ON THE CONTROL STICK TO BREAK THE DESCENT. THE ACFT CONTACTED THE RWY TAIL 1ST & BOUNCED SLIGHTLY. IT THEN SWERVED TO THE LEFT, WENT OFF THE RWY & NOSED OVER IN AN ADJACENT BEAN FIELD. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE RUDDER HAD CONTACTED ONE OF THE BANNER TOW HOOKS & WAS JAMMED TO THE LEFT. THE BANNER TOW INSTALLATION HAD RECENTLY BEEN MODIFIED FROM A SINGLE HOOK TO A MULTIPLE HOOK SYS. IN A LETTER DATED 5/31/89, THE FAA NOTIFIED THE FACILITY WHICH PERFORMED THE MODIFICATION THAT THE MULTIPLE HOOK INSTALLATION COULD NOT BE APPROVED AS SUBMITTED (ON FAA FORM 337).
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 852 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 142 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 788 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,575 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1989; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Barnstormers Flt. Signs, INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from MYR, 15 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.
Other NTSB records under N1652G the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.