Champion 7ECA accident near Devils Lake, North Dakota, August 26, 1987
On August 26, 1987 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N11024, was destroyed in an accident near Devils Lake, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- August 26, 1987 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Devils Lake, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N11024 · registry record · serial 4
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDE AND CIRCLING A FARM THAT BELONGED TO THE PLT'S SISTER. AFTER MAKING TWO PASSES BY THE FARM, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A CORN FIELD. THE PLT SAID HE WAS LOOKING FOR A FIELD IN WHICH TO LAND, AND ON THE 2ND PASS, THE ACFT ENCTRD 'WING TIP VORTICES' FROM THE PREVIOUS PASS. HE ESTD THE AIRSPEED AT THAT TIME WAS APRX 75 TO 80 MPH AND THE ACFT WAS IN ABOUT A 45 DEG BANK. ALSO, HE SAID THE LEFT WING DROPPED AND HE INITIATED STALL RECOVERY PROCEDURES, BUT THE ACFT HIT THE GROUND BEFORE A FULL RECOVERY WAS MADE. ADDITIONALLY, HE STATED, 'NATURE OF ACCIDENT WAS AN ACCELERATED TURNING STALL.' THE PLT'S MED CERT WAS DATED 2/6/85.
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: 208 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 158 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,030 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 17, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Webster ND at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from DVL, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N11024 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.