Champion 7GCAA N9648S

Summary

On 12 August 2000 at about 17:30 local time, a Champion 7GCAA registered N9648S was involved in an accident near Newell, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 August 2000 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Newell, California, United States

Coordinates

41.8007, -121.4595

Aircraft

Champion 7GCAA

Registration

N9648S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Red Bluff → Prineville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA295

Nobody was injured.

A hidden depression in the ground that resulted in the collapse of the landing gear during the forced landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the cross-country flight, the engine lost power and the airplane force landed in an open field. On landing roll, the left main wheel struck a depression collapsing the left main landing gear. Prior to departure, during her preflight inspection, the pilot had determined that the fuel tanks were full. After about 2 hours of flight, the pilot and her pilot-rated passenger elected to divert to an intermediate destination because of up and down drafts. Shortly after contacting approach control to receive flight following to the divert airfield, the engine sputtered and quit. Several hours after the accident a sheriff's deputy arrived at the scene. He reported no evidence of fuel spillage. A recovery crew got to the airplane 5 days later. The recovery personnel discovered that the fuel tank caps were in place and fit snugly, the fuel gascolator had been broken off, the fuel valve was in the 'OFF' position, there was no evidence of fuel spillage, and 2 gallons of fuel remained in the airplane, all in the right wing tank. The spark plugs had a normal appearance, cylinder compressions were good, and the intake and exhaust systems were open. The carburetor bowl was empty. The engine appeared capable of operating. Unusable fuel for the airplane is 1 gallon. During the postcrash examination, the right fuel tank vent check valve was inoperable.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.