Champion AERONCA 7HC accident near Louisville, Kentucky, August 27, 2010
On August 27, 2010 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Champion AERONCA 7HC, registered N8919R, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Louisville, Kentucky. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to fuel system contamination resulting in damage to the carburetor float.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 2010 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Louisville, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion AERONCA 7HC · all AERONCA 7HCs on the register
- Registration
- N8919R · no longer on the register · serial 7HC-21
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial takeoff, with the airplane about 800 feet above the ground, the engine experienced a loss of power. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) took authority of the controls and elected to land in an open field within a residential area. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted a street stop sign and separated both main landing gears, resulting in substantial damage. A postaccident engine examination revealed that the carburetor's brass float had a perforation located at its lowest point in the bowl. The perforation exhibited surface features such as pits and roughening consistent with a chemical etching reaction, similar to corrosion. The affected areas on the float were consistent with a small quantity of corrosive liquid having been retained in the bottom of the carburetor bowl for a sufficient time. The perforation in the float most likely adversely affected the carburetor’s performance and led to the loss of engine power. The carburetor had been restored and it is likely that the fuel system was not properly flushed after the restoration process to remove any possible foreign object/liquid contamination.
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
What happened, in order
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Fuel contamination during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › (general) › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,366 hours in all; 1,768 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 26, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 279 hours in all; 57 in this make and model; 218 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 5, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,172 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 12, 2010; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 07KY Louisville KY at 6:45 pm
- Destination: 07KY Louisville KY
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from KSDF, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA10LA449.