Champion 7GCAA accident near Clark Lake, Michigan, August 25, 1990
On August 25, 1990 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N2521F, was destroyed in an accident near Clark Lake, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
POOR JUDGEMENT OF THE PILOT DUE TO CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE AND CLEARANCE ABOVE WATER, WHILE PERFORMING AEROBATIC MANEUVERS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1990 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Clark Lake, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N2521F · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IN LOW FLIGHT & AEROBATIC MANEUVERS. FOLLOWING WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS A STEEP PULL-UP, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN TO IMPACT WATER IN A STEEP DESCENT. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRFRAME & ENGINE REVEALED NOTHING WHICH WOULD HAVE AFFECTED NORMAL FLIGHT. TOXICOLOGY CHECKS SHOWED THE PILOT HAD A BLOOD/ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 260 MG/DL (0.26%) & A URINE/ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 183 MG/DL (0.183%).
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: 980 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Clark Lake MI at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 10:50 pm from JXN, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI90FA239.