No fatalities

28 Apr 2019: BELLANCA 7GCAA — Mach 5 Aviation, Inc — Lincoln, CA

Lincoln, CA, United States

On 28 Apr 2019, a BELLANCA 7GCAA operated by Mach 5 Aviation, Inc was involved in an aviation accident near Lincoln, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot receiving instruction's failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in an attempted go-around and collision with a trench, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action during the landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 6 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a tailwheel instruction go-around, the aircraft veered left after a wind shift, exited the runway, and struck a trench, damaging the left wing and elevator. No preaccident mechanical failures were reported.

Event Description

A flight instructor was providing tailwheel instruction to a pilot. After a three-point landing, the pilot receiving instruction raised the tail to initiate a go-around. During this maneuver, the wind shifted from a left quartering headwind to a left quartering tailwind. The airplane began to veer left. The pilot added right rudder and aileron to correct the deviation, but the airplane continued to veer left and subsequently exited the runway. It encountered tall grass and very rough terrain. The instructor then took control of the flight controls and aborted the go-around. As a result, the left wing and elevator impacted the far side of a trench.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and elevator.

Mechanical Condition

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

Weather Information

The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, approximately five minutes before the accident, the wind was from 240° at 3 knots. The same automated station reported that approximately 35 minutes after the accident, the wind was calm. The flight instructor had landed the airplane on runway 15.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedStudent/instructed pilotInstructor/check pilotEffect on operation