Champion 7ECA accident near Forrest City, Arkansas, February 24, 2006
On February 24, 2006 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N9007L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Forrest City, Arkansas (Forrest City Municipal Airport). It was an aerial observation 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 follow proper procedures while attempting to start the engine by hand-proping the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2006 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Forrest City, Arkansas · Forrest City Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N9007L · no longer on the register · serial 752-70
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Personnel at the airport reported that the battery on the tailwheel equipped airplane was low. The pilot subsequently proceeded to attempt to start the engine by hand-propping. The engine started at a high power setting. The propeller struck the pilot's head and the airplane began to taxi in a right circle while unattended. The right wing tip collided with a hangar door and continued in a larger right circle, subsequently colliding with a parked agricultural airplane, causing substantial damage to the parked airplane. The flight had been schedule to confirm water content on selected agricultural fields prior to dispatching agricultural aircraft for aerial application operations. The airplane was not tied-down and no one was onboard the airplane when the hand-propping was attempted. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector at the scene of the accident confirmed substantial damage to both aircraft. Both propeller blades were found bent forward and had sections of aluminum missing along the leading edges. The left wing leading edge was significantly bent back and wrinkled when it impacted the parked aerial application airplane. The cabin area of the parked airplane sustained structural damage and the windscreen was broken-out.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,750 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,825 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,540 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FCY Forrest City AR at 4:30 pm
- Destination: Forrest City AR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 4:40 pm from KUTA, 29 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.