Champion 7GCBC accident near Des Moines, Iowa, May 29, 1996
On May 29, 1996 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Champion 7GCBC, registered N396BG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Des Moines, Iowa (Des Moines 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 inadvertent use of the brakes which resulted in a loss of directional control. A factor associated with the accident was the ravine which the airplane traveled down.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1996 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Des Moines, Iowa · Des Moines · 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 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N396BG · registry record · serial 1216-96
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot inadvertently applied the brakes while recovering from a bounced landing. The airplane traveled off the right side of the runway and down a ravine where it nosed over upon contacting a ditch.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,219 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,075 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 1995; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: I75 Osceola IA at 9:50 pm
- Destination: DMS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13R, 3,202 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N396BG on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Champion 7 Citabria and Champ 1,452 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Champion 1,604 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B 92 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Des Moines International · nearest airport
- Osceola Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Iowa 869 since 1982 · 129 in the last ten years
- Iowa 4,503 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI96LA181.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.