Champion 7ECA accident near Talcott, West Virginia, June 25, 1988
On June 25, 1988 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N9504S, was destroyed in an accident near Talcott, West Virginia (Hinton-Alderson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 1988 · about 8:30 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Talcott, West Virginia · Hinton-Alderson · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N9504S · registry record · serial 235
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE ACFT WAS MANEUVERING AT A LOW ALTITUDE WHEN IT CONTACTED TREES. THE ACFT THEN DESCENDED, IMPACTING THE TERRAIN 45 FT FROM THE TREES AND SLID APRX 110 FT BEFORE COMING TO REST. THE PLT STATED THAT DUE TO INJURIES HE IS UNABLE TO RECALL THE ACCIDENT. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT FAILED TO REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL FAILURES/MALFUNCTION.
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: 700 hours in all; 600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,358 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 25, 1987; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W59 Pence Springs WV at 8:20 pm
- Destination: BLF Bluefield WV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from BKW, 19 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9504S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Champion 7 Citabria and Champ 1,452 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Champion 1,604 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mercer County · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in West Virginia 424 since 1982 · 54 in the last ten years
- West Virginia 884 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/BFO88LA059.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.