Champion 7FC N50778

Summary

On 31 July 2025 at about 14:40 local time, a Champion 7FC registered N50778 was involved in an accident near Moriarty, New Mexico, United States. One person was 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

31 July 2025 at 14:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Moriarty, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Moriarty Muni (0E0)

Coordinates

34.9820, -106.0081

Aircraft

Champion 7FC

Registration

N50778

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25LA242

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported he was practicing landings and he intentionally flew slow on the approach to landing. The pilot said that during the landing flare, he forgot to focus on the horizon, and the airplane was high, and it stalled. Subsequently the airplane landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.