- Date
- October 30, 2004, 13:40 local (21:40 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4851EChampion 7FC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20041030029569A
- Case key
- 60461
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The instructor pilot's inadequate supervision of the student, which resulted in a loss of control during the landing roll, and subsequent nose over.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight instructor was providing flight instruction/recurrent training to the private pilot in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. The flight instructor said that just after landing on a dry, paved runway, the private pilot allowed the airplane to veer to the left of the runway centerline. The instructor said that she took control of the airplane in an attempt to realign the airplane, but the airplane ground looped to the left, and continued off the left side of the runway. The airplane's main wheels struck a snowbank, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, wing lift struts, fuselage, and empennage. Both pilots noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On October 30, 2004, about 1340 Alaska daylight time, N4851E, a tailwheel-equipped Champion 7FC airplane, sustained substantial damage during landing at the Talkeetna Airport, Talkeetna, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area instructional flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The first pilot, seated in the rear seat, a certificated flight instructor, and the second pilot, seated in the front seat, a certificated private pilot, were not injured. The accident airplane was owned by the second pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Talkeetna Airport, Talkeetna, about 1300.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on November 1, the first pilot reported that she was providing flight instruction/recurrent training to the second pilot. The first pilot said that just after landing on runway 36, a dry, paved runway, the second pilot allowed the airplane to veer slightly to the left of the runway centerline. She said that she took control of the airplane in an attempt to realign the airplane, but the airplane ground looped to the left, and continued off the left side of the runway. The airplane's main wheels struck a snowbank, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained structural damage to the wings, wing lift struts, fuselage, and empennage. Both pilots noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4851E
- Reported as
- Champion 7FC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7FC-302
- Airframe hours
- 2,431.1
- Engine
- Continental C-90-12F, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- James & Tracy Habersetzer
- Registered owner
- James L. Habersetzer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 19, 2004 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- TKA · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- TKA · Talkeetna, AK
- Airport
- TKA · Talkeetna, runway 36, 3,500 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- May 29, 2003
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 850 total · 1 in this make and model · 650 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- November 6, 2002
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 157 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.44 inHg
- Observed at
- TKA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4851E · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.