Champion 7KCAB accident near Merritt Island, Florida, August 17, 1986
On August 17, 1986 at about 3:57 pm local time, a Champion 7KCAB, registered N1638G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Merritt Island, 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
- August 17, 1986 · about 3:57 pm local time
- Place
- Merritt Island, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7KCAB · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N1638G · no longer on the register · serial 114
- 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 PLT STATED THAT WHILE HE WAS TOWING A BANNER THE ENGINE LOST FUEL PRESSURE AND THE RPM BEGAN TO DETERIORATE. HE DROPPED HIS BANNER AND TRIED TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE AIRPORT BUT COULDN'T AND LANDED SHORT OF RUNWAY 29 IN THE WATER. POST CRASH EXAMINATION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP HAD FAILED CAUSING THE LOSS OF FUEL PRESSURE EXPERIENCED BY THE PILOT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 586 hours in all; 325 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 504 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,150 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 5, 1986; 140 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COI Merritt Island FL at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 30,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from COI
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.