Champion 7FC accident near Hesperia, California, November 3, 1988
On November 3, 1988 at about 10:46 pm local time, a Champion 7FC, registered N9874Y, was destroyed in an accident near Hesperia, California (Hesperia Air Lodge airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- November 3, 1988 · about 10:46 pm local time
- Place
- Hesperia, California · Hesperia Air Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7FC · all 7FCs on the register
- Registration
- N9874Y · no longer on the register · serial 7FC-431
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES RPRTD THAT THE WINDS AT THE ARPT WERE OUT OF THE WEST AT ABOUT 20 KTS WITH PEAK GUSTS OF ABOUT 37 KTS. THEY STATED THE WIND SOCK WAS INDICATING A DIRECT X-WIND WITH RWY 3/21 & THAT THE PLT INITIATED HIS TAKEOFF ON RWY 21. WITNESSES RPRTD THAT DURING TAKEOFF, THE ACFT SETTLED BACK TO THE RWY SVRL TIMES BEFORE REMAINING AIRBORNE. RPRTDLY, THE ACFT DID NOT ATTAIN A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB. ACCORDING TO ONE WITNESS, THE ACFT'S LEFT WING DROPPED, THEN THE ACFT BEGAN TO SPIN TO THE GROUND. THE PLT ESTD THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 51 LBS OVER ITS APPROVED GROSS WT. DENSITY ALT WAS CALCULATED TO BE ABOUT 5700 FT. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS RPRTD.
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: 101 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1988; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L26
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,910 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 20 knots, gusting 37
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 41°F (5°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.
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.