Champion 7EC accident near Fort Worth, Texas, October 7, 2024
On October 7, 2024 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Champion 7EC, registered N4337C, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Fort Worth, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- October 7, 2024 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7EC NO SERIES · all 7ECs on the register
- Registration
- N4337C · registry record · serial 7EC-353
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On October 7, 2024, about 1240 central daylight time, a Champion 7EC airplane, N4337C, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot’s family, the airplane was based at the Flying Oaks Airport (2TE2), Fort Worth, Texas. The purpose of the local area flight was for the pilot to depart from 2TE2, land and have lunch at an unknown location, and then return to 2TE2. A preliminary review of security video footage, located on private property on the shore of Eagle Mountain Lake (a large freshwater reservoir), showed the tailwheel-equipped airplane gradually descend about a 45° angle into the water. The airplane came to rest nose down in about 10 ft of water. The video footage showed the airplane to be structurally intact before the impact with water. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The wreckage was recovered from Eagle Mountain Lake, and it was transported to a secure location for a future examination. The right wing and part of the engine were not recovered from the water. The airplane, known as a Champ, was equipped with a Continental Motors O-200A reciprocating engine and a McCauley MCM6950 two-blade fixed pitch aluminum propeller. A search revealed no Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data associated with the accident flight. A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records showed that the pilot held a private pilot certificate (with an airplane single engine land rating), and his most recent FAA medical certificate (third class), was issued on December 15, 2008. FAA registration records showed that the pilot purchased the airplane on November 5, 2004.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 2TE2 Fort Worth TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KAFW, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAFW 071653Z 05006KT 10SM CLR 29/14 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP182 T02890139
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.