Champion 7GCAA accident near Bargaintown, New Jersey, July 11, 1987
On July 11, 1987 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N9085L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bargaintown, New Jersey (Noidheim airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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, 1987 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Bargaintown, New Jersey · Noidheim
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N9085L · registry record · serial 226-70
- 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 CLIMB OUT AND LEVEL OFF AFTER A BANNER PICKUP, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT PRODUCE SUFFICIENT POWER TO SUSTAIN FLIGHT. AFTER CHECKING THE CARBURETOR HEAT AND MIXTURE, HE RELEASED THE TOW ROPES AND ESTABLISHED A GLIDE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED INTO TREES ABOUT 200 FEET BEYOND THE RUNWAY AND WAS DAMAGED. NO REASON WAS FOUND FOR LOSS OF POWER.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 875 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 875 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,857 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1987; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 1,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9085L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 NYC87LA200.