Champion 7KCAB accident near Chattanooga, Oklahoma, May 11, 1985
On May 11, 1985 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Champion 7KCAB, registered N5285X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chattanooga, Oklahoma (Sky Harbor airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 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
- May 11, 1985 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chattanooga, Oklahoma · Sky Harbor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7KCAB · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N5285X · no longer on the register · serial 219
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS TOW LAUNCHING A GLIDER. WHEN ABOUT 200 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AND FOR UNKNOWN REASONS THE GLIDER SUDDENLY GAINED UNWANTED ALTITUDE AND CLIMBED ABOVE THE TOW PLANE. THIS PITCHED THE NOSE OF THE TOW PLANE DOWNWARD BEFORE THE TOW LINE COULD BE RELEASED. RELEASE WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY BOTH PILOTS, HOWEVER, THE TOW PLANE WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER AND GROUND IMPACT OCCURRED AT ABOUT A 45 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ALTITUDE WITH THE LEFT WING LOW. THE GLIDER PILOT CIRCLED BACK TO THE RUNWAY AND MADE A SUCCESSFUL LANDING.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,182 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,724 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 19, 1985; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.