- Date
- August 20, 2006, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Clear, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1655GChampion 7GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20060820017809A
- Case key
- 64403
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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees during the landing flare, which resulted in an in-flight collision with the trees.
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 commercial certificated pilot was landing a wheel-equipped airplane at an off-airport site surrounded by trees during a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight. During the landing flare, the pilot inadvertently allowed the airplane to drift to the left, and the left wing struck a stand of trees, which pivoted the airplane to the left. The airplane subsequently collided with the ground, and sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The commercial certificated pilot was landing a wheel-equipped airplane at an off-airport site surrounded by trees during a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight. During the landing flare, the pilot inadvertently allowed the airplane to drift to the left, and the left wing struck a stand of trees, which pivoted the airplane to the left. The airplane subsequently collided with the ground, and sustained structural damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot noted that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1655G
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 126
- Airframe hours
- 2,664
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronal W. Smith
- Registered owner
- John J. Burns
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2006 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- Clear, AK
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2004
- Flight hours
- 3,825 total · 40 in this make and model · 3,729 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.