No fatalities

2 Feb 2018: AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7GCBC NO SERIES — Santa Paula, CA

Santa Paula, CA, United States

On 2 Feb 2018, an AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7GCBC NO SERIES was involved in an aviation accident near Santa Paula, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing due to being distracted by another airplane and her delayed initiation of a go-around, during which the right wing struck a parked helicopter. 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

During landing, a pilot became distracted by another aircraft's touch-and-go, causing her airplane to veer right. After adding full power for a go-around, the right wing struck a parked helicopter, then the airplane hit bushes and came to rest inverted in a riverbed.

Event Overview

According to the pilot's report, the accident occurred during a landing attempt. She stated that she became distracted by another airplane performing a touch-and-go maneuver. As a result of this distraction, upon touchdown her airplane veered to the right.

Go-Around Attempt

The pilot added full power to initiate a go-around, but the airplane continued to veer to the right. While becoming airborne, the right wing of the airplane struck a parked helicopter. The airplane subsequently impacted the tops of bushes and came to rest inverted in an adjacent riverbed.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings.

Mechanical Condition

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

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilotEffect on operation

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome