Champion 7FC accident near Stevensville, Maryland, May 25, 1996
On May 25, 1996 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Champion 7FC, registered N456JE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Stevensville, Maryland (Bay Bridge airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of the amount of fuel he had onboard the airplane which resulted in an engine failure due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the high vegetation encountered during the forced landing which resulted in the airplane's nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 1996 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Stevensville, Maryland · Bay Bridge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7FC · all 7FCs on the register
- Registration
- N456JE · no longer on the register · serial 7FC-460
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that because the airplane had just had an annual he did an especially thorough preflight examination, and found no water and that he visually checked the fuel tanks. He said that he found adequate fuel. Shortly after takeoff the engine quit and the pilot made a forced landing in a field where the airplane came to rest inverted. Examination of the aircraft found the right fuel tank with less than 1/4' of fuel when measured with a dip stick, and the left fuel tank was empty with no evidence of a fuel spill at the accident site.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,153 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,270 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1996; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W29 at 7:29 pm
- Destination: 3W3 MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 2,910 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from BWI, 26 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.