- Date
- July 2, 2011, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sugar Land, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N79RAAmerican Champion 7GCBC
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviaiton Administration
- FAA report
- 20110702025089A
- Case key
- 80997
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 directional control during landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Following a cross-country flight, the pilot lost directional control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane during the landing roll. The airplane exited the side of the runway and ground-looped before coming to rest in an upright position. During the ground-loop, the right wheel broke off and the right wing sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
Following a cross-country flight, the pilot lost directional control of the tailwheel equipped airplane during the landing roll. The airplane exited the side of the runway and ground looped before coming to rest in an upright position. During the ground loop, the right wheel broke off and the right wing sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N79RA
- Reported as
- American Champion 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1312-2001
- Airframe hours
- 840
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Anson Air LLC
- Registered owner
- Anson Air LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 22, 2011
- Departed
- DWH · Spring, TX
- Destination
- SGR · Sugar Land, TX
- Airport
- SGR · Sugar Land Regional, runway 17, 8,000 × 100 ft, concrete
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
- 45
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 22, 2010
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 248 total · 33 in this make and model · 177 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 30, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 116 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.