Champion 7EC accident near Zellwood, Florida, March 19, 2006
On March 19, 2006 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Champion 7EC, registered N4387C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Zellwood, Florida (Orlando North Airpark 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
A loss of directional control due to the spring connecting the rudder to the tailwheel horn being detached.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 2006 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Zellwood, Florida · Orlando North Airpark
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7EC · all 7ECs on the register
- Registration
- N4387C · registry record · serial 7EC-416
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot made a "normal approach" and landed on runway 09. He said that on rollout, "the aircraft began to swerve, first to the left, then to the right, then back to the left and finally swerved sharply to the right, leaving the runway and proceeding into a water filled drainage ditch that ran parallel to the runway." The airplane was later moved to a hangar. The pilot reported that post-accident examination revealed "the spring connecting the rudder to the tail wheel horn had detached."
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,150 hours in all; 1,075 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,864 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KGIF Winter Haven FL at 5:00 pm
- Destination: FA83 Zellwood FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from LEE
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 N4387C 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.