No fatalities

3 Apr 2016: CHAMPION 7ECA NO SERIES — Jerry D. Barnhill — Kinder, LA

Kinder, LA, United States

On 3 Apr 2016, a CHAMPION 7ECA NO SERIES operated by Jerry D. Barnhill was involved in an aviation accident near Kinder, LA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area, resulting in a loss of directional control during landing, an airstrip excursion, impact with a fence and the subsequent airplane fire. 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 tailwheel airplane veered left during a wheel landing, sank into mud, struck a barbed wire fence, and came to rest nose down in a ditch. Fuel leaked and ignited as the pilot and passenger evacuated, resulting in a fire that destroyed the wings and fuselage.

Accident Description

According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, the aircraft had completed a local flight and was making a normal approach to a dirt and grass covered airstrip. The pilot executed a wheel landing, during which the airplane veered left of the airstrip heading. The left main landing gear began to sink into the mud, causing the airplane to strike a barbed wire fence. The airplane came to rest nose down in a water-filled ditch.

Post-Accident Fire

The pilot reported that after shutting off the aircraft systems, he and his passenger exited the airplane. He observed fuel leaking from the fuel tanks as a result of the angle at which the airplane came to rest. As the pilot and passenger walked away from the airplane, they heard the fuel ignite, and the airplane became engulfed in flames. The airplane sustained substantial fire damage to the wings and fuselage.

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

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome