On October 7, 1984, a Champion 7KCAB (registration N76BP) operated by Brookfield Aviation was involved in an aviation accident near Coram, NY. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control on a runway with a rough surface, resulting in an overrun into a dirt ridge that trapped the aircraft. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
The pilot lost directional control on a rough runway, causing the left wheel to overrun the edge into an increasing dirt ridge that trapped the aircraft.
What happened
The pilot reported that the poor condition of the runway surface made maintaining directional control difficult during the landing roll. As the aircraft proceeded down the strip, the left wheel overran the paved edge and entered a dirt ridge bordering the runway. The pilot attempted to steer the wheel back onto the prepared surface but was unable to do so. The terrain profile worsened further down the runway, with the ridge dimensions increasing in height until it rose high enough to contact the underside of the aircraft and the landing gear struts, effectively trapping the aircraft.
Findings
Contributing factors included the rough condition of the runway surface which impaired directional control and the increasing elevation of the dirt ridge along the runway edge. The pilot was unable to recover the left wheel from the terrain obstacle.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control on a runway with a rough surface, resulting in an overrun into a dirt ridge that trapped the aircraft.