NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW90FA059
Registry · N4542E
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CHAMPION 7DC
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5839B
Registrant of record
MADDOX JESSE G
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
POWER LOSS DUE TO FAILURE OF THE CARBURETOR ASSEMBLY AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO CORRECT KNOWN DEFICIENCIES. FACTORS WERE CONTAMINATED FUEL, PARTIALLY BLOCKED FUEL SCREEN, FOULED SPARK PLUGS, THE ROUGH TERRAIN, AND THE LACK OF SHOULDER HARNESSES.
Factual narrative
THE ENGINE LOST POWER SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF AND THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A GRAVEL PIT, INTENTIONALLY STALLING THE AIRPLANE TO OBTAIN THE LOWEST POSSIBLE LANDING SPEED. THE AIRPLANE HAD A STC FOR AND WAS BEING OPERATED ON AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE. RESIDUAL FUEL AND DEBRIS WERE NOTED IN THE MAIN FUEL TANK. THE FILTER SCREEN WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 20% BLOCKED BY SAN AND DEBRIS. SOME WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL. THE CARBURETOR NEEDLE VALVE WAS FOUND TO BE BINDING. IT HAD A FLAT SPOT ON ONE SIDE, ALLOWING FUEL TO FLOOD THE BOWL. THE #1 SPARK PLUG WAS INOPERATIVE. THE #3 PLUG WAS OIL SOAKED. ALL PLUGS AND THE EXHAUST PIPE HAD CARBON DEPOSITS. TWO DAYS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, AN AIRPORT WORKER STARTED THE ENGINE AND IT RAN FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE IT STOPPED. NO REASON WAS GIVEN FOR THE STOPPAGE, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT WAS INVESTIGATED FURTHER. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH SHOULDER HARNESSES. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1990_FTW90FA059.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Automating Bird Diverter Installation through Multi-Aerial Robots and Signal Temporal Logic Specifications
This paper tackles the task assignment and trajectory generation problem for bird diverter installation using a fleet of multi-rotors.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Variation of Critical Crystallization Pressure for the Formation of Square Ice in Graphene Nanocapillaries
Two-dimensional square ice in graphene nanocapillaries at room temperature is a fascinating phenomenon and has been confirmed experimentally.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Polycrystallinity enhances stress build-up around ice
Damage caused by freezing wet, porous materials is a widespread problem, but is hard to predict or control. Here, we show that polycrystallinity makes a great difference to the stress build-up process…
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Enhanced Prediction of Three-dimensional Finite Iced Wing Separated Flow Near Stall
Icing on three-dimensional wings causes severe flow separation near stall. Standard improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is unable to correctly predict the separating reattaching flow due…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Analysis on the Negative Emotional, Physiological, and Cognitive Responses Elicited from of the Activation of a Stall Alarm
Failing to identify an aerodynamic stall can lead to the inability of an aircraft to sustain flight. To warn pilots of an impending or fully-developed stall, many aircraft have safety devices installe…
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