Champion 7GCAA accident near Oakley, Idaho, October 6, 1985
On October 6, 1985 at about 1:23 am local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N9623S, was destroyed in an accident near Oakley, Idaho. It was a personal flight 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 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 1985 · about 1:23 am local time
- Place
- Oakley, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N9623S · no longer on the register · serial 89
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
LOW TIME PRIVATE PILOT HAD BORROWED AIRCRAFT FOR PERSONAL TRIP TO NEARBY AIRPORT. ON ARRIVAL, PILOT MADE FLY BY OF FRIEND'S RANCH TO SIGNAL FOR PICK UP AT AIRPORT. FRIEND GOT INTO AUTO AND HEADED FOR AIRPORT,STATED HE WAS DRIVING 60 MPH AND SAW AIRCRAFT IN REAR MIRROR, OVERTAKING. AIRCRAFT PASSED OVER AUTO,CAME INTO VIEW AHEAD, ENTERED SUDDEN AND ABRUPT RIGHT HAND SPIN TYPE MANEUVER AND CRASHED NOSE LOW, UPRIGHT ON ROAD SHOULDER. NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE IN AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE, POWERPLANT OR SYSTEMS. NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF PILOT PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,454 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1985; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TWF Twin Falls ID
- Destination: 1U6 Oakely ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from BYI, 16 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.