Champion 7ECA accident near Rancho Calif, California, July 25, 1987
On July 25, 1987 at about 1:35 am local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N5144X, was destroyed in an accident near Rancho Calif, California (Rancho California airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- July 25, 1987 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Rancho Calif, California · Rancho California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N5144X · registry record · serial 670
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE LANDING ON RUNWAY 12, THE PLT LOST CONTROL OF THE CHAMPION 7ECA AND IT COLLIDED WITH THREE OTHER AIRCRAFT. ABOUT 31 MI NORTHWEST AT RIVERSIDE, CA, THE 1755 PDT WIND WAS FROM 290 DEG AT 9 KTS. A WITNESS AT THE AIRPORT ESTIMATED THE WIND WAS FROM 270 DEG AT 25 KNOTS. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS REPORTED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 430 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,885 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 13, 1987; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA
- Destination: 2L0
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 3,023 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N5144X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.