Champion 7GCBA accident near Athol, Idaho, August 23, 2022
On August 23, 2022 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1965 Champion 7GCBA, registered N9512S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Athol, Idaho (Hackney Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the right brake due to a disconnected master cylinder piston rod, which led to the departure of the airplane from the runway surface. Contributing to the accident was the mechanic’s failure to adequately inspect the connection between the piston rod and rudder pedal.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2022 · about 4:30 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Athol, Idaho · Hackney Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCBA, built 1965 · all 7GCBAs on the register
- Registration
- N9512S · registry record · serial 7GCBA21
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that the accident flight was uneventful from takeoff to touchdown. However, during the landing roll, the right brake was inoperative, causing the airplane to veer to the left and off the runway surface into a ditch, which resulted in the right main landing gear collapsing and the right wing impacting terrain. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right brake master cylinder piston rod had disconnected from the right rudder pedal attach point, and that the cotter pin was missing from the clevis pin. The airplane had undergone a conversion to a hydraulic toe brake rudder assembly about 3 years before the accident. However, the investigation was unable to determine, from the available evidence for this accident investigation, if the cotter pin was not installed, improperly installed, or subsequently damaged. The airplane’s an annual inspection was accomplished 12 days and about 1.3 flight hours before the accident. The mechanic who performed the inspection stated that he inspected the right brake system but did not recall or notice if the cotter pin was installed in the clevis pin. Given the short interval between the inspection and the accident, it is likely that the mechanic failed to adequately inspect the connection of the right rudder pedal to its brake system.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear brakes system › Inoperative other cases naming the landing gear
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Master cylinder/brake valve › Inadequate inspection other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 2,400 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 11, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,313.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 1,314 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ID05 Athol ID at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 am from KCOE, 13 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCOE 231656Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM CLR 23/12 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP173 T02280122 PNO $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on May 2, 2024. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Annual Logbook Excerpts | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | STC Logbook Entry | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | STC | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Accident Pictures | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9512S on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Champion 7 Citabria and Champ 1,451 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Champion 1,603 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,311 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hackney Airpark · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 288 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,200 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR22LA324.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.