Champion 7ECA accident near San Luis Obispo, California, May 7, 2005
On May 7, 2005 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N42LC, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Luis Obispo, California (San Luis Obispo 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
a loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 7, 2005 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- San Luis Obispo, California · San Luis Obispo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N42LC · registry record · serial 493
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed the airplane in a soccer field and impacted a power pole. The pilot could not remember the circumstances of the accident. Witnesses indicated that the airplane was circling the soccer field with a sputtering engine, prior to the landing. During the landing ground roll, the airplane skidded into a power pole. There was a strong odor of fuel at the accident site and an observed post accident fuel leak from the left wing. Investigators examined the airplane after the accident and the engine was successfully test run. No airframe or engine anomalies were identified. The closest weather observation station was within 10 miles of the accident site and was reporting a temperature and dew point of 8 and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively. Review of a carburetor icing probability chart disclosed that the temperature and dew point was in the center of the area for serious icing at any power setting.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 780 hours in all; 580 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 780 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,350 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2005; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSBU San Luis Obispo CA at 12:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; ovct at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from KSBP, 5 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.