Champion 7ECA accident near Keymar, Maryland, December 25, 1987
On December 25, 1987 at about 6:38 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N11089, was destroyed in an accident near Keymar, Maryland (Keymar airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- December 25, 1987 · about 6:38 pm local time
- Place
- Keymar, Maryland · Keymar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N11089 · no longer on the register · serial 109
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES HEARD AND OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT TAKEOFF, BANK TO THE LEFT, AND NOSE DOWN INTO THE ADJOINING DIRT FIELD WITH NO CHANGE IN ENGINE SOUND. EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT AN ELEVATOR CABLE HAD SEPARATED AT A POINT WHERE GROUNDING STRAP WAS FOUND TO BE HANGING LOOSE FROM THE BATTERY BOX. BOTH THE CABLE AND THE STRAP WERE FOUND TO HAVE EVIDENCE OF ARCING AND EACH CONTAINED ELEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE OTHER IN THE AREA WHERE THE ARCING DAMAGE WAS FOUND.
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: 1,135 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,519 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1987; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MD42 at 6:36 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 1,875 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from BWI, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.