Champion 7ECA accident near Shingle Springs, California, July 10, 1983
On July 10, 1983 at about 10:47 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N1882G, was destroyed in an accident near Shingle Springs, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 1983 · about 10:47 pm local time
- Place
- Shingle Springs, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N1882G · no longer on the register · serial 604
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH AN OAK TREE WHILE MANEUVERING AT LOW ALT. THE WEATHER WAS VMC. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS FLYING TO MAINTAIN A BATTERY CHARGE. HE SAID HE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 1600-1700 FT MSL AND FLEW SOUTHEAST. THE AVERAGE ELEVATION ALONG THIS ROUTE IS 1300 FT MSL. THE PILOT STATED THAT AS HE APPROACHED SHINGLE SPRINGS HIS ENGINE STARTED TO MISFIRE. HE TURNED TOWARD AN EMERGENCY LANDING AREA. DURING THE TURN HIS ENGINE REGAINED POWER SO HE CONTINUED THE TURN TO ROLL OUT ON HIS ORIGINAL HEADING. IT WAS DURING THIS LAST PORTION OF THE TURN THAT THE ACFT STRUCK A TREE & CRASHED WITNESSES SAID THEY SAW THE ACFT MAKE 2 COMPLETE CIRCLES OF THE AREA AT 200 FT AGL BEFORE THE COLLISION. THEY ALSO SAID HAD SEEN THIS ACFT CIRCLING THIS AREA ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS.
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: 1,400 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 1,328 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,380 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1982; 5 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: 061 Shingle CA at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.