Champion 7GCBC accident near New Smyrna Beac, Florida, March 26, 1982
On March 26, 1982 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Champion 7GCBC, registered N7552F, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Smyrna Beac, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- March 26, 1982 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- New Smyrna Beac, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCBC · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N7552F · no longer on the register · serial 218-70
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING A BANNER PICK UP, HE MISSED THE BANNER, AND ON CLIMB OUT, HE ENCOUNTER WINDSHEAR AND STALLED. THE PLANE CRASHED BEFORE RECOVERING FROM THE STALL. HE REPORTED THAT THE WIND WAS GUSTING TO 20 KNOTS.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 120 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,931 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 146 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 34J New Smyrna Beac FL at 3:15 pm
- Destination: 34J New Smyrna Beac FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from DAB, 10 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.
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.