No fatalities

15 Jun 2017: CHAMPION 7ECA NO SERIES — Van Nuys, CA

Van Nuys, CA, United States

On 15 Jun 2017, a CHAMPION 7ECA NO SERIES was involved in an aviation accident near Van Nuys, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. 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-equipped airplane ground looped left during landing roll after drifting right. The pilot's rudder corrections failed to stop the turn, causing the right wing tip to strike the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing.

Incident Overview

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, the airplane deviated from its path. After the aircraft drifted to the right, the pilot applied rudder input to correct. However, the aircraft then began to pull to the left. The pilot stated that his subsequent rudder inputs were unable to stop the leftward movement, and the airplane ground looped to the left. During the ground loop, the right wing tip contacted the ground.

Aircraft Damage

The right wing of the airplane sustained substantial damage as a result of the wing tip striking the ground during the ground loop.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot