Flight Summary
On 21 September 2023 at 19:30 UTC, an American Champion Aircraft 7-EC, registration LV-ZMN, departed from a private airstrip in Norberto de la Riestra, Buenos Aires Province, for a general aviation pleasure flight. The pilot, accompanied by a passenger, overflew the city of 25 de Mayo and continued southwest toward the town of Valdés. While over Provincial Route 40 under visual meteorological conditions, the pilot simulated an emergency and decided to perform a touch-and-go landing on the road.
Accident Sequence
During the landing phase, the pilot reduced power, configured the aircraft for approach, and initiated the landing. The main landing gear made initial contact with the asphalt surface, but as the tailwheel touched down, the aircraft became unstable. The pilot applied power to abort the landing, but the aircraft veered to the right, crossed the shoulder, and the left wing impacted vegetation. This caused the aircraft to rotate left; the propeller struck the ground, and the right wing tip hit a terrain unevenness, coming to rest oriented southeast. The accident occurred on Provincial Route 40, approximately 900 meters from the entrance to Valdés, on an asphalt surface with grassy shoulders and a ditch adjacent to the field.
Aircraft and Damage
The aircraft, a high-wing tailwheel design, sustained substantial damage: both wing tips, the fuselage, the rudder, and the landing gear were damaged; the propeller blades were deformed at the tips due to ground contact, which also caused abrupt engine stoppage.
Investigation
According to the pilot interview, the decision to simulate an emergency and perform a touch-and-go was made after observing the road clear of traffic. The pilot reported that the initial touchdown was normal, but control was lost when the tailwheel contacted the pavement. The investigation classified the event as an accident with a loss of control on ground. No injuries were reported; the pilot and passenger exited the aircraft unaided. The aircraft had been removed from the site and secured in a nearby property prior to the arrival of investigators from the Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte (JST).