Champion 7FC accident near Sacramento, Kentucky, September 29, 1994
On September 29, 1994 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Champion 7FC, registered N7695E, was destroyed in an accident near Sacramento, Kentucky (Lowe 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 pilot's failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1994 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sacramento, Kentucky · Lowe · 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
- N7695E · registry record · serial 290
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TAKEOFF FROM A DIRT STRIP WHICH HE HAD USED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE TAKEOFF ROLL WAS LONGER THAN USUAL, BUT HE WAS NOT TOO CONCERNED ABOUT IT. THE AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF AND BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED FORWARD VISIBILITY FROM THE HIGH PITCH ATTITUDE HE LOOKED OUT THE SIDE WINDOW AND THEN NOTICED POWERLINES IN HIS PATH. HE INCREASED PITCH TO CLEAR THE POWERLINES, BUT THE AIRSPEED DECREASED. HE DECREASED PITCH TO REGAIN AIRSPEED AND NOTICED TREES AHEAD. TO AVOID THE TREES, HE TURNED RIGHT BUT THE RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH THE CROP AND THE AIRPLANE CRASHED IN THE CORN FIELD.
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: 364 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 364 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1994; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KY20 at 11:00 pm
- Destination: KY20 KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.
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.