- Date
- September 7, 2014, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Alpine, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2535FChampion 7GCAA
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 13, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 90126
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 loss of airplane control during a precautionary landing resulting in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
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
During a cross country flight, the weather began to deteriorate. The pilot elected to turn back; however, the weather continued to deteriorate and the pilot elected to perform a forced landing to a dirt road. The pilot stated that it was raining and there was lightening all around. During the forced landing the airplane started to sink and hit the ground hard. The pilot stated that the left main landing gear was bent aft and the left wingtip hit the ground. There were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During a cross country flight, the weather began to deteriorate. The pilot elected to turn back; however, the weather continued to deteriorate and the pilot elected to perform a forced landing to a dirt road. The pilot stated that it was raining and there was lightening all around. During the forced landing the airplane started to sink and hit the ground hard. The pilot stated that the left main landing gear was bent aft and the left wingtip hit the ground. There were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2535F
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCAA (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7GCAA-33
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 1,005
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2014
- Departed
- KODO · Odessa, TX
- Destination
- E38 · Alpine, TX
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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 31, 2014
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 3,080 total · 2,200 in this make and model · 82 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KE38
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 29, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.0 MB in all.