Champion 7KCAB accident near Shirley, New York, August 5, 1989
On August 5, 1989 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Champion 7KCAB, registered N5084X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Shirley, New York (Brookhavens 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN PROPER AIRSPEED, AND HIS DELAY TO JETTISON THE BANNER, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1989 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Shirley, New York · Brookhavens · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7KCAB · all 7KCABs on the register
- Registration
- N5084X · registry record · serial 15F
- 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 AIRCRAFT DEPARTED RUNWAY 24 FOR A BANNER PICKUP ON THE INACTIVE RUNWAY. THE PILOT FLEW A STANDARD PATTERN, ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTIONS, THEN PICKED UP THE BANNER. AFTER THE PICKUP, HE LOWERED THE NOSE FOR A SHALLOWER CLIMB. THE AIRCRAFT ROCKED GENTLY LEFT AND RIGHT, BUT THE PILOT MAINTAINED A STRAIGHT FLIGHT PATH. HE LOWERED THE NOSE FURTHER, BUT THE ROCKING CONTINUED. HE THEN RELEASED THE BANNER, BUT THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED TO THE GROUND & WAS DAMAGED.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,196 hours in all; 163 in this make and model; 208 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days; 996 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,806 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 28, 1989; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Brookfield Aviation,Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.