Champion 7EC accident near Lake Monroe, Indiana, July 13, 1987
On July 13, 1987 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Champion 7EC, registered N4365C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Monroe, Indiana (Lake Monroe Spb airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- July 13, 1987 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Monroe, Indiana · Lake Monroe Spb · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Champion 7EC · all 7ECs on the register
- Registration
- N4365C · registry record · serial 7EC-388
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLOAT EQUIPPED ACFT TOOK OFF FROM LAKE MONROE WITH 2 RATED PLTS ON BOARD. THE PLT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) STATED THAT THE TAKEOFF DISTANCE MAY HAVE BEEN ABOUT 20% LONGER THAN NORMAL. HE SAID THAT AFTER CLIMBING ABOUT 200 TO 250 FT, THE COPLT BEGAN A RGT TURN, THEN 'WAS NOT ABLE TO GET WING UP & BY THE TIME I REALIZED WE HAD A PROBLEM, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME OR ALTITUDE TO TRY TO DO ANYTHING.' RPRTDLY, THE ACFT SETTLED & CONTACTED THE WATER WITH ITS RGT WING, THEN SANK AFTER IT CRASHED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT HAD A HISTORY OF LEAKING FLOATS. THREE DAYS BFR THE FLT, THE ACFT WAS FND PARTIALLY SUNK WHILE MOORED AT A BUOY. PRIOR TO THE FLT, ONLY THE 2 FRONT COMPARTMENTS OF EACH FLOAT WERE PUMPEDOUT. WT & BALANCE INFO SHOWED THAT WITHOUT ANY WATER IN THE FLOATS, THE ACFT WOULD HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO ITS MAX GROSS WT LIMIT & THE CG WOULD HAVE BEEN NEAR THE AFT LIMIT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 13,300 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,111 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 071 at 10:14 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 15,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from BMG, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.