No fatalities

24 Mar 2019: Champion 7EC 453 — Fayetteville, AR

Fayetteville, AR, United States

On 24 Mar 2019, a Champion 7EC 453 was involved in an aviation accident near Fayetteville, AR. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during takeoff as he attempted to avoid power lines, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. 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 float-equipped airplane stalled and impacted the ground during takeoff from a private lake after the pilot pulled up hard to avoid power lines. Substantial damage occurred to both wings and fuselage.

Accident Overview

A float-equipped airplane suffered substantial damage after a takeoff accident from a private lake. The pilot reported that the aircraft did not climb as expected compared to the previous day. Upon reaching the end of the lake, the pilot executed a hard pull-up on the yoke to avoid power lines, which resulted in the left wing stalling and the subsequent impact with the ground.

Aircraft Damage

The impact caused substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. No preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported by the pilot that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Conditions

The pilot indicated that around the time of the accident, the wind was from 190° at 12 knots with gusts to 21 knots. An automated weather observation station located approximately 5 nautical miles from the accident site reported wind from 190° at 11 knots. The airplane had departed the private lake on a heading of 180°.

Sequence of Events

According to the pilot, during the takeoff roll, the floatplane failed to achieve the climb performance observed the day before. As the aircraft neared the end of the lake, the pilot applied back pressure to clear power lines, causing the left wing to stall. The floatplane then struck the ground.

Contributing factors

Causes

Capability exceededPilot

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome