Champion 7GCAA accident near Merritt Island, Florida, August 14, 1994
On August 14, 1994 at about 5:43 pm local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N9669S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Merritt Island, Florida (Merritt Island airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO VISUALLY VERIFY THAT THE TOW ROPE WAS NOT WRAPPED AROUND ANY FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACE AND THE INADVERTENT STALL/SPIN. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ENTANGLEMENT OF THE TOW EQUIPMENT WITH THE RUDDER HORN, RUDDER MOVEMENT WAS RESTRICTED DUE TO FULL DEFLECTION, AND INABILITY OF THE PILOT TO RELEASE THE BANNER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1994 · about 5:43 pm local time
- Place
- Merritt Island, Florida · Merritt Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N9669S · no longer on the register · serial 53
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT THREW THE TOPE ROPE OUT OF THE COCKPIT AND IT BECAME WRAPPED AROUND THE LEFT RUDDER HORN. THE PILOT PICKED UP THE BANNER AND BECAUSE OF THE POSITION OF THE TOPE ROPE, THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE RUDDER BECAME FULLY DEFLECTED TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT TURNED RIGHT CROSSWIND, DOWNWIND, AND BASE. WHEN THE FLIGHT WAS ABOUT 1/4 MILE NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT, THE AIRPLANE STALLED SPUN 1/2 TURN TO THE RIGHT AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. ACCORDING TO THE OWNER OF THE OPERATION, A MIRROR IS INSTALLED ON THE LEFT WING STRUT TO VIEW THE TOW ROPE AT THE 'D' RING TO VERIFY THAT THE TOW ROPE ISN'T WRAPPED AROUND THE RUDDER HORN. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE THE BANNER.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,350 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 2,192 as pilot in command; 1,352 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,048 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 14, 1994; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Words
The flight
- Departed from: COI at 5:38 pm
- Destination: COI FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from MLB, 15 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.