Champion BL-7-GCBC N311DM
26 September 1998 · Upham, North Dakota, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 26 September 1998 at about 19:45 local time, a Champion BL-7-GCBC registered N311DM was involved in an accident near Upham, North Dakota, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 19:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Upham, North Dakota, United States
- Coordinates
- 48.5799, -100.7203
- Aircraft
- Champion BL-7-GCBC
- Registration
- N311DM
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI98LA361
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's steep pull and failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall/spin. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane's handling qualities, and a lack of recent experience in the airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A witness reported seeing the airplane make a low pass across a field where the pilot's brother was baling hay. According to the witness, the airplane made a steep climb to between 400 and 500 feet above the ground, made a left turn and spiraled vertically into the ground. The airplane was destroyed by the post-impact- fire. The on-scene investigation revealed no anomalies with the airframe, flight control system, or engine that would prevent flight. According to the pilot's logbook, his last flight in the accident airplane was December 31, 1995. The pilot had received a biennial flight review on May 1, 1998, in a different make and model airplane than the accident airplane. There were no logbook entries after May 1998. The logbook entries for the accident airplane did not show any stall or spin maneuvers performed by the pilot during the time he had flown it.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 May 1998 | Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A | Dawson, North Dakota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 May 1998 | Boeing Stearman A75-N1 | West Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 1998 | Cessna A185F | Bottineau, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1998 | Piper PA-18-150 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 1998 | Grumman-Schweizer 164B | Hatton, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jun 1998 | Aeronca 7BCM | Portland, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |