Champion 7ECA accident near South St. Paul, Minnesota, March 27, 1997
On March 27, 1997, a Champion 7ECA, registered N11023, was substantially damaged in an accident near South St. Paul, Minnesota (South St.Paul 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 inadequate compensation for wind and his failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance which resulted in collision with a snowbank. The pilot's lack of recent experience, the crosswind, and snowbank are contributing factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1997
- Place
- South St. Paul, Minnesota · South St.Paul · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N11023 · registry record · serial 249
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was executing touch and go landings for flight proficiency. The pilot was using runway 16 and a right crosswind existed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that when the airplane was approximately 2,500 feet down the runway the tail cocked to the right, and that he was unable to straighten out the airplane before it went off the runway. The pilot initiated a go around, however the airplane struck a snow drift along the runway and flipped over. This was the pilot's first flight in the past 90 days, and he did not report any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 828 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 639 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,308 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 1996; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D97
- Destination: D97
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
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.