Champion 7EC accident near Lake Elmo, Minnesota, March 18, 1985
On March 18, 1985 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Champion 7EC, registered N7401B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Elmo, Minnesota (Lake Elmo 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 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
- March 18, 1985 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Elmo, Minnesota · Lake Elmo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7EC · all 7ECs on the register
- Registration
- N7401B · registry record · serial 7EC-431
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON TAKEOFF, AT ABOUT 150 FT AGL, ALL POWER WAS LOST AND THE PILOT EXECUTED A FORCED LANDING ON THE AIRPORT. POST-ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED CONTAMINATION IN THE FUEL MANIFOLD VALVE.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 707 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 670 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 7, 1985; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 21D at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 2,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:45 pm
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.