Champion 7FC accident near Baltimore, Maryland, August 31, 1986
On August 31, 1986 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Champion 7FC, registered N9853Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Baltimore, Maryland (Essex Skypark 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
- August 31, 1986 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Baltimore, Maryland · Essex Skypark · 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
- N9853Y · no longer on the register · serial 7FC-415
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO TOUCH DOWN HARD ON THE SOD RWY, BOUNCE INTO THE AIR, AND COME BACK DOWN ON THE LEFT MAIN AND NOSE WHEEL. THE NOSE WHEEL FORK BROKE AND THE NOSE WHEEL DEPARTED THE ACFT. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO SLIDE FOR APRX 24 FT AFTER WHICH TIME IT NOSED OVER ONTO ITS BACK. THE PLT STATED THAT THE ACCIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY USING A HIGHER APCH SPEED AND BY NOT DRAGGING THE BRAKES UPON TOUCHDOWN.
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: 1,103 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 1,038 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,860 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from BWI, 14 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.