Champion7FC

The airplane was substantially damaged at about 1030 Pacific time when it impacted mountainous terrain. Visual conditions prevailed. The commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were killed. The airplane came to rest in a near-vertical attitude on an approximate 40-degree slope. The leading edge of the left and right wings were crushed aft throughout their span. The forward area of the fuselage was crushed aft. All major structural components and flight controls of the airplane were located at the accident site.

At 10:30 CDT, a Champion 7FC struck its right wing on the ground while landing on a private turf airstrip near Powderly. The pilot suffered serious injuries. The pilot said the springs had been removed from the tailwheel assembly and the airplane was uncontrollable during the landing roll. The pilots total flight time was 700 hours, of which 30 hours were in the accident aircraft….