No fatalities

18 Jun 2011: CHAMPION 7FC — Wellsville, PA

Wellsville, PA, United States

On 18 Jun 2011, a CHAMPION 7FC was involved in an aviation accident near Wellsville, PA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 11 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot on final approach behind another airplane added power at 10 feet, causing a stall. The aircraft hit the runway flat, collapsed the nose gear, and nosed over, damaging the fuselage and firewall.

Accident Overview

A pilot reported that while on final approach to land behind another airplane, he reduced airspeed and continued the approach. When the airplane was approximately 10 feet above the runway, he added a small amount of power. The airplane then stalled and collided with the runway in a flat attitude.

Aircraft Damage

The impact caused the nose landing gear to separate, and the airplane nosed over to an inverted position. The fuselage and firewall sustained structural damage. The pilot stated that no mechanical issues were present before the accident.

Pilot Account

According to the pilot, the approach was conducted normally until the addition of power near the runway. The subsequent stall and flat impact led to the nose gear failure and inversion. No other details regarding the aircraft type, registration, or number of occupants were provided.

Contributing factors

Airspeed — Not attained/maintainedPilot