Champion 7FC accident near Auburn, California, April 9, 1983
On April 9, 1983 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Champion 7FC, registered N7597B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Auburn, California (Auburn Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- April 9, 1983 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Auburn, California · Auburn Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7FC · all 7FCs on the register
- Registration
- N7597B · no longer on the register · serial 7FC-95
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON HIS 2ST SOLO FLT. ON THE 3RD LANDING, THE ACFT BOUNCED & THE STUDENT ADDED POWER TO RECOVER. THE ACFT VEERED LEFT, & WHEN THE STUDENT OBSERVED THAT HE WAS RAPIDLY APPROACHING TREES, HE BANKED THE ACFT. THE RIGHT WING TIP IMPACTED THE GROUND & THE ACFT CRASHED. THIS WAS THE 1ST STUDENT THAT THE INSTRUCTOR HAD TRAINED TO THE POINT OF SOLOING. THE STUDENT HAD NEVER FLOWN WITH ANOTHER INSTRUCTOR.
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: student
- Flight time: 19 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,200 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 31, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,480 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AUN Auburn CA at 4:00 pm
- Destination: AUN Auburn CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 3,100 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.