Champion AERONCA 7FC accident near Hessel, Michigan, April 2, 2020
On April 2, 2020 at about 10:30 pm local time, a 1958 Champion AERONCA 7FC, registered N3JZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Hessel, Michigan (Albert J Lindberg 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 loss of directional control during landing in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 2020 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Hessel, Michigan · Albert J Lindberg · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion AERONCA 7FC No Series, built 1958 · all AERONCA 7FCs on the register
- Registration
- N3JZ · registry record · serial 7FC-212
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he attempted a three-point, full-stall landing with a right-quartering headwind of about 10 to 15 knots. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered an unanticipated wind gust that raised the right wing and turned the airplane about 30° to the right. The pilot attempted to correct, but the airplane exited the right side of the runway and impacted a snowbank. The airplane then decelerated rapidly and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and wing strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Snow/ice › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 122 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 0.2 in the last 90 days; 0.2 in the last 30 days; 72 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 14, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,560 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 1,860 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5Y1 Hessel MI at 10:25 pm
- Destination: 5Y1 Hessel MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,700 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 21, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3JZ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Champion AERONCA 7 134 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Champion 1,604 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200-A 297 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Albert J Lindberg Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,236 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN20CA138.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.