N86614

On July 25, 2020, a Champion 7GCBC (N86614) was involved in an accident near Angola, IN. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury, with 1 person uninjured out of 2 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a low-level pass, resulting in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack that caused an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's distraction during the low-level pass.

The pilot reported that while performing a low-level pass parallel to the runway in the airplane, he allowed himself to become distracted. The airplane started drifting to the right and he found himself, "fighting the controls not realizing I cross controlled the control surfaces." The pilot felt a sink develop and applied full power with right rudder, but the right wing "unloaded." The pilot attempted to recover; however, he reported the airplane was too low and slow, an aerodynamic stall occurred, and the airplane impacted a grass field. The airplane, which was not equipped with a stall warning system nor was it required to be, sustained substantial damage to the right wing and the fuselage.

This accident is documented in NTSB report CEN20CA310. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N86614.