Champion 7GCAA accident near La Jolla, California, August 21, 1983
On August 21, 1983 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N100ES, was destroyed in an accident near La Jolla, California. 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1983 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- La Jolla, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N100ES · registry record · serial 229-70
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED BEING RUN UP WITH THE ENG SPUTTERING & BACKFIRING QUITE BADLY. THE ACFT RETURNED TO THE HANGER & 3 LOWER PLUGS WERE CHANGED. THE FLT WAS THEN RESUMED. THE ACFT WAS NEXT OBSERVED OFF SHORE, WITH THE ENG SPUTTERING & MISSING, & THE BANNER HAVING BEEN RELEASED. THE ACFT THEN PITCHED UP, STALLED & STRUCK THE WATER. ENG EXAMINATION REVEALED NUMEROUS MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES. THE #4 EXHAUST VALVE FAILED IN FATIGUE. THE RIGHT EXHAUST FLAME TUBE WAS DETERIORATED & SEPARATED WITH PARTS MISSING WHICH WERE LARGER THAN THE OPENING IN THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. 4/5 OF THE #2 PISTON CAP SKIRT WAS MISSING. THE #2 SCRAPER RING ON THE #2 PISTON WAS BROKEN IN HALF. THE #4 EXHAUST CAM LOBE WAS WORN TO ABOUT 1/2 ITS NORMAL HEIGHT. THE #4 EXHAUST CAM FOLLOWER FACE WAS CONCAVED & PITTED. THE OIL PUMP HOUSING & GEARS SHOWED SCRATCH MARKS SUGGESTIVE OF METAL CONTANINATION.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,878 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,421 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1982; 166 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEE El Cajon CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from CRO, 14 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX83FA398.