Ownership guide
American Champion 8KCAB
809 registered in the US, built from about 1972 to 2025, 1 seats, most with the Lycoming AEIO-360. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 809
- Built
- 1972 to 2025
- Half built by
- 1993
- Seats
- 1
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Lycoming AEIO-360
Engines installed
- Lycoming AEIO-360548 aircraft (68%) · 18 ADs, 3 with a repeat action
- Lycoming IO-320127 aircraft (16%) · 20 ADs, 2 with a repeat action
- Lycoming AEIO-32041 aircraft (5%) · 11 ADs, 2 with a repeat action
- Lycoming AEIO-39035 aircraft (4%) · 3 ADs, 2 with a repeat action
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
15 current ADs name the 8KCAB airframe, 3 with a repeat action; 3 more were superseded. Its engines carry 52 more. 10 equipment ADs name the model.
The ones that come back
ADs with a repeat action: an inspection or replacement at an interval, for as long as the AD applies. These are the airworthiness costs an owner keeps paying.
- 2018-14-06Requires repetitive inspections of the aileron hinge support, installation of the aileron hinge support reinforcement kit, and incorporation of revised pages into the service manualWings · AirplaneSupersedes 2017-07-10Repeat actionJul 13, 2018
- 2009-22-02Requires inspection of the rear seat back hinge areas for cracking and excessive elongation of the rear seat hinge bolt hole and, if cracking or excessive elongation is found, replacement of the rear seat frameAmerican Champion Aircraft Corp. Models 7ECA, 7GCAA, 7GCBC, 7KCAB, 8KCAB, and 8GCBC Airplanes · AirplaneRepeat actionOct 29, 2009
- 2000-25-02 R1American Champion Aircraft Corporation 7, 8, and 11 Series AirplanesAirplaneSupersedes 2000-25-02Repeat actionJun 6, 2001
Accident record
53 accidents since 2009, 17 fatal (26 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 4 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground15
- Loss of control in flight12
- System or component failure (not the engine)3
- Low altitude operation/event3
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT)2
- Miscellaneous/other2
Phase of flight
- Landing19
- Maneuvering12
- Enroute6
- Takeoff5
- Initial climb4
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-14 | Auburn, CA | Landing: Loss of control on ground | Minor | WPR26LA260 |
| 2026-06-01 | Stockholm, OF | Unknown: Unknown or undetermined | None | GAA26WA293 |
| 2026-03-08 | Trinidad, CO | Landing: Loss of control on ground | None | CEN26LA135 |
| 2026-01-29 | Alpine, WY | Approach: Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) | Minor | WPR26LA095 |
| 2025-12-13 | Irvington, AL | Initial climb: Loss of control in flight | Fatal | ERA26FA067 |
| 2025-08-31 | Jamesburg, CA | Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight | Minor | WPR25LA272 |
From the NTSB's aviation accident database, refreshed monthly; accidents only, homebuilts left out. Counts, not rates: nobody publishes how many hours each model flies, and a training fleet flies far more than a private one. Look up any case by its number in the NTSB's CAROL.
What it costs to run
Per hour flown
Per year, flown or not
- Fuel
- $0/hr
- Engine reserve
- $0/hr
- A year
- $0
- All in, per hour
- $0/hr
Everything else is yours to fill in: insurance, hangar and overhaul prices vary too much by pilot, airport and shop for a default to mean anything. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Before you buy one
- Run its N-number through the AD check: every AD that names its airframe and engine, as a checklist to take to the logbooks.
- For each repeat-action AD (3 on the airframe), find the last compliance in the logbooks and when the next one is due.
- Compare the engine's time since overhaul with its maker's published overhaul time, and look for the reason behind any long gap in flying.
- 10 equipment ADs name the 8KCAB (a muffler, a seat belt, a display): find out which of that equipment is installed.
- Check the registration, the airworthiness certificate and the date of the last annual inspection.
- Work out the sales or use tax your state will charge with the aircraft tax calculator.
Questions
- How many American Champion 8KCABs are registered in the US?
- 809, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the American Champion 8KCAB built?
- From about 1972 to 2025. Half of those registered today were built by 1993.
- What engine does the American Champion 8KCAB have?
- Most have the Lycoming AEIO-360 (68% of those registered); others have the Lycoming IO-320, Lycoming AEIO-320, Lycoming AEIO-390.
- How many accidents has the American Champion 8KCAB had?
- 53 in the NTSB's database since 2009, 17 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of control on ground. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the American Champion 8KCAB have?
- 15 current ADs name the 8KCAB airframe, 3 of them with a repeat action, and 52 more name its engines. Whether each applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number and installed equipment.
Figures from the FAA aircraft registry and the FAA's Airworthiness Directives, rebuilt daily. An AD listed for a model is one to read; whether it applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number, equipment and records.