American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB accident near Beverly, Massachusetts, March 4, 2012
On March 4, 2012 at about 1:29 pm local time, a American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB, registered N7DF, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Beverly, Massachusetts (Beverly Municipal Airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2012 · about 1:29 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Beverly, Massachusetts · Beverly Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion Aircraft 8KCAB · all 8KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N7DF · registry record · serial 1055-2007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he did not align the tailwheel-equipped airplane with the runway before applying power. During the takeoff roll, the airplane drifted off the side of the runway and nosed down. A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane had sustained substantial damage to the fuselage in the vicinity of the right main landing gear attachment point. The pilot did not report any mechanical abnormalities of the airplane. The pilot had recently received a tailwheel endorsement.
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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 30, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-H1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVY Beverly MA at 12:29 pm
- Destination: BVY Beverly MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,755 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.65 inHg
- Observation at 1:36 pm from BVY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on July 20, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FAA Phone Coversation with Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Record - Communication Attempt with Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Reports from Local Agencies - Airport | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Weather | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Right Side of Airplane (Courtesy of the FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7DF on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- American Champion Aircraft 8 Decathlon and Scout 674 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- American Champion Aircraft 1,103 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-H1B 125 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Beverly Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Massachusetts 987 since 1982 · 90 in the last ten years
- Massachusetts 2,646 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12CA220.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.