Champion 7ECA N57393

Summary

On 22 August 1995 at about 19:25 local time, a Champion 7ECA registered N57393, operated by Lester J. Desselle, was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 August 1995 at 19:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.6203, -148.9802

Aircraft

Champion 7ECA

Registration

N57393

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Lester J. Desselle

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grasshopper Val → Birchwood

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC95FA147

2 people died.

failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and collision with the terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to a witness, he and the two occupants of the airplane were hunting in the area. The pilot and passenger took off from an unimproved strip. The witness stated that after takeoff, the airplane made a right turn, and flew over the camp. After the fly over, the airplane started another right turn. The witness looked away and then heard the plane crash. He then turned and saw the airplane on the ground. It came to rest in a nose down attitude. A crush line on the airplane showed that it had impacted in about a 45 degree nose down attitude. Photographs taken by the witness showed the airplane just lifting off at the airstrip and climbing with a nose high attitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.