Champion 7GCAA accident near Lakewood, New Jersey, July 3, 2000
On July 3, 2000 at about 4:23 pm local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N8384V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lakewood, New Jersey (Lakewood Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 airspeed, resulting in an inadvertent stall. Factors were the entanglement of the tow rope with the rudder horn, restricted rudder movement, the pilot's lack of total experience in the type of operation, and no stall warning system installed on the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2000 · about 4:23 pm local time
- Place
- Lakewood, New Jersey · Lakewood Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N8384V · no longer on the register · serial 135
- 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 was completing his supervised training for banner-tow operations. The airplane was configured with a single seat, and dual flight instruction was not possible. Therefore, the pilot was in radio contact with an employee of the operator, located on the ground near the pick-up area. The employee provided guidance and supervision to the pilot per the training curriculum. A witness was monitoring the radio communication frequency that the pilot was using. After the pilot picked up a banner, the witness heard him report that he had a full right rudder deflection. The employee of the operator told the pilot to land. Another witness saw the airplane making a left turn back toward the airport, consistent with a left downwind and base leg pattern for the runway. While on the base leg, the airplane stalled to the left and impacted the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the banner-tow rope was entangled around the airplane's rudder horn. Although the hook was in the release position, the banner was still attached to the airplane. Additionally, the airplane was not equipped with a stall warning system. According to the operator, the pilot had a total flight experience of approximately 515 hours, of which, about 10 hours were conducting banner-tow operations in the accident airplane. The operator added that it was possible for pilots to control and land an airplane with a tow rope entangled around the rudder horn, and tow rope entanglements were addressed during training.
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: 515 hours in all; 10 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,658 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 2000; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: O'Brien Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: N12 at 4:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,457 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 pm from BLM, 8 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.