Champion 7GCAA accident near Newburyport, Massachusetts, July 11, 1986
On July 11, 1986 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N9574S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newburyport, Massachusetts (Plum Island airport). 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1986 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Newburyport, Massachusetts · Plum Island
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N9574S · registry record · serial 14
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AFTER EXPERIENCING A RUDDER CONTROL FAILURE AFTER A BANNER PICK UP. THE LEFT AFT RUDDER CABLE HAD PARTED 49.5 INCHES AFT OF THE RUDDER PEDAL ATTACHMENT POINT.
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: 1,181 hours in all; 118 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 1,118 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,854 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 18, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Newburyport MA at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 8 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC86LA179.