No fatalities

5 Oct 2018: Champion 7ECA No Series — Cleveland, TX

Cleveland, TX, United States

On 5 Oct 2018, a Champion 7ECA No Series was involved in an aviation accident near Cleveland, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing in a gusting crosswind conditions. 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 a crosswind landing on a private grass airstrip, a gust caused a tailwheel airplane to weathervane. The left main gear sank into soft ground, leading to a pivot and nose-over, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing, spar, and left wing lift strut.

Accident Details

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane was landing on a private grass airstrip in crosswind conditions. According to the pilot, a gust from the right caused the airplane to weathervane into the wind. While correcting for the crosswind, the airplane drifted left, and the left main landing gear sank into soft ground. This caused the airplane to pivot left, and subsequently the right main landing gear exited the runway surface. The airplane then nosed over.

Aircraft Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Specifically, the right wing, right wing spar, and left wing lift strut were damaged.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that the wind was variable at 10 knots with gusts to 15 knots at the time of the accident. The pilot also stated 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/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on operation