Champion Aeronca 7BCM accident near Pahokee, Florida, March 18, 2003
On March 18, 2003 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Champion Aeronca 7BCM, registered N2517E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pahokee, Florida. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent stall while maneuvering.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2003 · about 10:55 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Pahokee, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion Aeronca 7BCM · all Aeronca 7BCMs on the register
- Registration
- N2517E · no longer on the register · serial 7AC-6094
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport rated pilot was maneuvering the airplane at low altitude over a sugar cane field for the purpose of scaring birds out of the field. Two witnesses observed the airplane make a low pass over the field to the west then start a steep climbing right turn to the northwest. According to one witness, as the airplane "was about to turn back into the field it was obvious he was in trouble (did not have enough room to recover) not sure if engine quit or he killed the power to recover." The witness said he saw the airplane "stall" and impact the ground. The other witness reported that the airplane was turning, "did not pull up" and hit the ground "at about 30 degrees from vertical." The witnesses indicated that the wind was from the west, and the airplane was turning from upwind to downwind when the accident occurred. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted the ground in a nose low attitude with little forward speed. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 5, 2001; 80 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X10 Belle Glade FL at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,500 ft; a few clouds at 600 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.69 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KPBI, 30 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2517E: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Champion AERONCA 7 134 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Champion 1,604 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 137 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Belle Glade State Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 984 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,709 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA03FA077.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.