On May 24, 2003, an Aeronca 7EC (registration N4712E) was involved in an aviation accident near Oregon City, OR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing roll. A tailwind and gusting conditions were factors. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During landing roll, a student pilot applied hard braking, felt the tail lighten, then a push on the tail, causing the airplane to nose over. The wind had shifted to a gusting tailwind.
Event Description
The accident occurred during the landing roll when the student pilot, having landed with a crosswind, applied hard braking after feeling that the ground speed was too high. As the brakes were applied, the pilot perceived the tail becoming light, and shortly thereafter felt a force pushing on the tail section. The nose then lowered, and the airplane nosed over.
Pilot Report
The student pilot reported that prior to landing, the wind direction was 90 degrees to the runway heading. After exiting the aircraft, the pilot noted that the wind direction had shifted to a tailwind and was gusting. The pilot did not report any mechanical issues or malfunctions.
Mechanical Status
No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported at the time of the accident. The aircraft appeared to have been operating normally until the event.