Champion 7EC accident near Clipper Mills, California, September 10, 2006
On September 10, 2006 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Champion 7EC, registered N9575S, was destroyed in an accident near Clipper Mills, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot failed to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's impairment from ingestion of marijuana.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2006 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Clipper Mills, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7EC · all 7ECs on the register
- Registration
- N9575S · no longer on the register · serial 7ECA-262
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's wreckage was found in mountainous terrain. Investigators found no anomalies to preclude normal operation of the airframe or engine. The owner had recently received a check out in the airplane. However, he was told not to take passengers or fly around in the mountains until receiving training in mountain flying techniques. The toxicology report for the pilot notes the finding of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC - the primary active substance in marijuana) and tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (THC-COOH - an inactive metabolite of THC) at levels suggesting very recent use, certainly within 3 hours prior to the crash, and possibly much more recently. The pilot's judgment and/or abilities were likely impaired.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental )-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Paradise CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 9:47 pm from CIC, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.