Champion 7ECA accident near Fairview, North Carolina, September 21, 1997
On September 21, 1997 at about 8:07 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N1817G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairview, North Carolina (Spurgeon Rowell airport). It was an other work-use 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel contamination, and the pilot's inadequate preflight of the airplane. A factor relating to the accident was: an inability to attain a proper touchdown point, which led to the runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 1997 · about 8:07 pm local time
- Place
- Fairview, North Carolina · Spurgeon Rowell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N1817G · registry record · serial 409
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he stopped to refuel after 2.5 hours of banner towing operations. After refueling, he departed and climbed to 250 feet above ground level (AGL), where the engine lost power. The pilot returned to the airport for an emergency landing. The airplane landed with insufficient runway to stop. It overran the runway and struck a building. An FAA inspector stated that the pilot had refueled from a 55 gallon drum and immediately taken fuel samples. An FAA inspector took fuel samples from the gascolator and carburetor, and found that both areas contained large amounts of water.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 6,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 1997; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,000 ft by 10 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL97LA138.