No fatalities

8 Mar 2008: American Champion (ACAC) 7GCAA — West Valley Flying Club — Tracy, CA

Tracy, CA, United States

On 8 Mar 2008, an American Champion (ACAC) 7GCAA operated by West Valley Flying Club was involved in an aviation accident near Tracy, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor's inadequate compensation for the tailwind condition and failure to maintain adequate airspeed that led to an inadvertent stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 17 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A CFI performing a simulated engine failure demonstration stalled during a go-around, resulting in substantial wing damage.

Incident Overview

A certified flight instructor (CFI) was conducting a training flight involving a simulated engine failure during the takeoff initial climb. The maneuver involved executing a 180-degree turn to return to the airport. As the CFI completed the turn, he initiated a go-around by applying full power. During this sequence, the airplane stalled and subsequently impacted the runway in a left wing low attitude.

Wind Conditions

The CFI reported being aware of the tailwind condition that would be encountered during the 180-degree turn. After exiting the aircraft, he noted that the wind was considerably higher than expected.

Aircraft Damage

Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that both the left and right wings sustained substantial damage. No anomalies were found with the engine or flight control systems.

Conclusion

The event involved a stall during a go-around in the context of a simulated engine failure training exercise. No further causal factors were identified in the source material.

Contributing factors

Causes

Airspeed — Not attained/maintainedCrosswind correction — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Tailwind