No fatalities

16 Nov 2015: CHAMPION 7ECA Citabria — HOWELL WILLIAM F — Eufaula, AL

Eufaula, AL, United States

On 16 Nov 2015, a CHAMPION 7ECA Citabria operated by HOWELL WILLIAM F was involved in an aviation accident near Eufaula, AL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's decision to land with a quartering tailwind, resulting in a loss off directional control, excessive brake application, and a nose over. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A student pilot landed a tailwheel airplane at 80 mph on an asphalt runway, failed to correct for crosswind, applied excessive braking, and nosed over, causing substantial damage.

Landing Event

A student pilot flying a tailwheel-equipped airplane landed on an asphalt runway at approximately 80 miles per hour. The landing was conducted on Runway 18, with the wind reported as 070 degrees true at 5 knots. During the landing roll, the student pilot reported being unable to apply the appropriate crosswind correction and subsequently applied excessive braking.

Accident Sequence

As a result of the excessive braking, the airplane nosed over and exited the right side of the runway. The accident sequence ended with the airplane inverted, having sustained substantial damage to the firewall, left wing, and rudder.

Pilot Report

The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal operation.

Contributing factors

Student/instructed pilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintainedEffect on equipment