On May 23, 1985, a Champion 7FC (registration N781VY) operated by Ivey Simmons was involved in an aviation accident near Watkins, CO. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An aircraft veered 30 degrees during landing, aborted and took off over a wheat field, then collided with the ground after a steep right bank. A broken aileron bellcrank was found.
Sequence of Events
According to a witness, the aircraft veered approximately 30 degrees during the landing roll and was heading toward the north edge of the runway when full power was added to abort the landing. The aircraft then took off and traveled over a grass and wheat field bordering the runway, with the landing gear touching the tops of the wheat. The witness reported that the pilot then gained an estimated 40 feet of altitude above ground level but also appeared, in their opinion, to be close to full stall. The aircraft continued to fly along the north side of the runway for about 2,500 feet before it entered a steep right bank and collided with the ground, right wing tip first.
Post-Accident Examination
Post-accident examination of the aircraft disclosed a broken main aileron bellcrank. Metallurgical examination revealed that the bellcrank failure resulted from a sudden overload.
Pilot Experience
The pilot had a total of 5 hours of flight time in this make and model of aircraft.