Champion 7ECA accident near Comstock, Wisconsin, May 29, 1999
On May 29, 1999 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N12028, was destroyed in an accident near Comstock, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. A factor contributing to this accident was the airplane's low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1999 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Comstock, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N12028 · registry record · serial 57
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness heard the airplane take off from the pilot's private field, which was located approximately 1/2 mile south of the witness' home. The witness said he saw the airplane approach from the east and fly over his house. As the airplane flew over, the witness observed the airplane rocking its wings. The witness said that he waved back to the pilot. The witness lost sight of the airplane as it went over the trees. The witness said he then heard the airplane's engine 'waver as if he was rocking his wings, and then bang.' The witness said that the airplane was flying low that day, '500 feet [above the ground] was optimistic to me.' The pilot's wife was visiting her friend's farm on which the airplane crashed, when the airplane flew over. She saw her husband tip his wing once. She said that she lost sight of the airplane when it flew over her friend's barn. After she lost sight of the airplane, the pilot's wife said that there was a 'few seconds, 3, 5, or 10 seconds of silence, then I heard the crash.' The pilot's wife said that there were no unusual engine sounds which preceded the silence. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. FAA toxicology testing revealed the presence of Tetrahydrocannabinol Carboxylic Acid, an inactive metabolite of marijuana, in the pilot's blood and urine.
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: 997 hours in all; 846 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 951 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,702 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 1998; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from RPD, 18 miles away
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.