Champion 7GCAA accident near Lakewood, New Jersey, July 11, 1988
On July 11, 1988 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N11088, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lakewood, New Jersey (Lakewood airport). It was an other work-use flight 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
LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING LANDING, DUE TO A BANNER TOWING ROPE BEING WRAPPED AROUND THE LEFT RUDDER HORN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1988 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Lakewood, New Jersey · Lakewood
- 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
- N11088 · registry record · serial 74
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A BANNER PICK-UP THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE RUDDER WAS JAMMED FULL LEFT BY THE BANNER TOW ROPE, AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND, THE AIRPLANE RAN OFF THE RUNWAY AND HIT TWO PARKED AIRCRAFT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 9,500 as pilot in command; 7,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,773 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 9, 1988; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N12 Lakewood NJ at 4:10 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 6, 3,457 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 NYC88LA180.