Champion 7GC accident near Douglas, Wyoming, November 29, 1983
On November 29, 1983 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Champion 7GC, registered N7697E, was destroyed in an accident near Douglas, Wyoming. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- November 29, 1983 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Douglas, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GC · all 7GCs on the register
- Registration
- N7697E · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT TOOK OFF ON AN AERIAL OBSERVATION FLT TO SPOT CATTLE IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA. WHEN HE FAILED TO RETURN, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE PLANE WAS FOUND IN A VALLEY BETWEEN 2 MOUNTAIN RANGES. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ACFT HAD CRASHED WHILE IN A STEEP NOSE-LOW ATTITUDE. THERE WAS NO LONGITUDINAL GROUND SCAR, THE ENG WAS EMBEDDED IN A 30 INCH CRATER & CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED FROM ALL CONTROL SURFACES TO THE COCKPIT AREA. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT. THE 0750 MST WX AT DOUGLAS, WY (ELEVATION 4876 FT) WAS IN PART: 2000 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 20 MI. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 7500 FT. THE ARPT MANAGER NOTED 'A CURTAIN OF SNOW SHOWERS OR BLOWING SNOW' TOWARDS THE MOUNTAINS WHERE THE THE PLANE CRASHED. ALSO, HE STATED THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE OBSCURED.
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: 470 hours in all; 395 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- 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-290-D2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DGW Douglas WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 am from CPR
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.