- Date
- July 22, 1994, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hartford, AL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5105XChampion 7-GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940722019559A
- Case key
- 3423
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 improper use of the wheel brakes.
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 pilot was conducting wheel landings in the tailwheel equipped airplane. He stated that during the landing roll, he applied the wheel brakes too soon. A nose over resulted fracturing the wing spar. The pilot also stated that his recent wheel landings had been in another airplane with less effective brakes.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 1994, about 1800 central daylight time, a Champion BL-7-GCBC, N5105X, nosed over during the landing roll at a private airstrip at Hartford, Alabama. The airplane was operated by the owner/pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. A flight plan was not filed for the local, personal flight. There was substantial damage to the airplane, and the pilot was not injured. Origination of the flight was the same private airstrip at 1730.
The pilot stated that he was performing wheel landings in the tailwheel equipped Champion. During the landing roll, he applied the wheel brakes too soon. A nose over resulted, and the right wing struck the ground fracturing the main spar. He stated that his recent wheel landings had been in another airplane which had less effective brakes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5105X
- Reported as
- Champion 7-GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 150
- Airframe hours
- 2,334
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Holman, Jerry P.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 5, 1994 · 51 hours before
- Airport
- NONE · Holman Field, runway 24, 1,800 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,208 total · 53 in this make and model · 3,924 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DHN, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.