Champion 7GC accident near Palmer, Alaska, September 4, 2016
On September 4, 2016, a 1959 Champion 7GC, registered N4831E, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Palmer, Alaska. 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 inadequate preflight inspection and failure to assess the airplane’s fuel quantity before departure, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2016
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GC NO SERIES, built 1959 · all 7GCs on the register
- Registration
- N4831E · registry record · serial 7GC-39
- 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 of the single-engine airplane, shortly after takeoff and about 500 ft above ground level, the engine lost power. He reported that he attempted to restart the engine but was unsuccessful. The pilot made a forced landing in a hay field; the airplane landed hard and struck a telephone pole. The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) that he did not preflight the airplane or check the fuel level before departure and that there should have been fuel in the tanks from the last flight in June 2016, 3 months before the accident. The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-In-Charge (IIC) who received the initial notification that "he ran the airplane out of gas." He further reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The NTSB IIC attempted to contact the pilot on multiple occasions but was informed by the FAA ASI that the pilot was out of the country for the winter.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during takeoff defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Not inspected
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAQ Palmer AK
- Destination: Palmer AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Observation at 5:30 am from UHMM, 215 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 2, 2017. 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 | Memorandum for Record - FAA Inspector (Thews) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo (Courtesy of 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.
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.