On June 9, 2007, an Aeronca 7AC (registration N83365) was involved in an aviation accident near Erie, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A student pilot practicing touch-and-go landings lost control of the aircraft on runway 33, causing it to veer off the pavement and nose into a ditch.
What happened
The incident occurred while a student pilot was conducting practice maneuvers at an airport. The pilot reported that he was performing touch-and-go landings on runway 33. During the landing roll of one such maneuver, the aircraft began to behave erratically, described by the pilot as getting "squirrelly." This loss of directional control caused the airplane to depart from the right side of the runway surface. The aircraft then nosed down into an adjacent ditch.
The investigation
Following the accident, a technical examination of the airplane's systems was conducted to determine if mechanical failure contributed to the event. The inspection revealed no anomalies within the aircraft's systems that would explain the loss of control.
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.