19991226045349A

(.4) On December 26, 1999, at 1220 hours PST, a champion 7ECA, N8395V, ground looped and collided with a runway sign while landing at the Oxnard, CA. Airport. The airplane, operated by the owner's daughter under 14 CFR part 91, sustained substantial damage. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The pilot did not file a visual flight rules flight plan for the local area flight. The airplane departed Oxnard at 1115, and was staying in the traffic pattern for practice landings. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight instructor said he provided instruction to the pilot, including ground handling of the airplane, taxing a tail wheel airplane, wheel and three point takeoffs and landings, and other manuevers. He said the pilot was showing satisfactory improvement with each lesson, and was demonstrating positive control of the airplane in all facets of flight. On the date of the accident, he flew with the pilot for about 2 hours. About 1100, the flight instructor said that they stopped at the transient parking area and went into the terminal to review her training. The pilot said she was quite confortable operating the airplane and the instructor signed her logbook with the tail wheel endorsement. He said she had received 7.3 hours of instruction from him in the conventional gear airplane, performing a total of 30 landings. The pilot then went back out ot the airplane and took off, flew around the pattern, and made a normal approach. The instructor said the touchdown appeared "ok", but the pilo encountered a wind gust, lost control of the airplane, and ground looped off runway 07 and subsequently struck a distance remianing sign. The airplane continued northbound until it hit a small dirt berm, which caused the landing gear to collapse and the propeller to strike the ground. The pilot said that she made a normal left closed pattern at 1,000 feet MSL, which was the pattern altitude. She made the normal final approach and flared atthe approach end of runway 7. Her right wingtip was slightly down at this point because the wind was coming from the east, approximately 110 degrees at 10 to 15 knots. She was using right aileron and left rudder to keep the plane straight and the right wing down. She had the stick all the way back and the airplane stalled as it touched the runway. Just after contact WI th the runway, the right wingtip went down and the airplane continued towards the right. She attempted to correct the rightward movement by putting in some left rudder. The pilot said a second and stronger gust of wind hit the airplane, lifting the right wing again, and turning the airplane to the left. At this point, she applied full power, right rudder, and attempted a go-around. When the airplane continued its turn to the left, she cut the power, and applied braked and right rudder. The airplane went off the runway and subsequently the elevator hit a distance remaining sign. The airplane came to rest at the upward sloping edge of the fence that surrounds the airport. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot looked at the windsock and it showed the wind was 90 degrees to the runway from approximately 160 degrees. (-23)at touchdown appeared "ok", pilot encountered a wind gust, and lost control of the airplane, and ground looped off runway 07 and subsequently struck a distance remaining sign. The airplane continued northbound where it hit a small dirt berm which caused the landing gear to collapse.