- Date
- September 7, 2019, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Winnsboro, LA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4136YChampion 7KCAB
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20190907024259A
- Case key
- 100221
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 a crosswind landing, which resulted in an impact with a tree.
Findings · 4
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
The pilot reported that, while landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane on the turf runway, the airplane bounced once followed by a "normal" touchdown on the main gear. The airplane started veering to the left and the pilot applied right rudder to correct, but it had "no effect." The airplane slowed "considerably" and continued veering to the left. The airplane subsequently impacted a tree, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions of the airplane. The recorded wind conditions from a nearby airport were consistent with a left crosswind for the landing runway.
Factual narrative
On September 7, 2019, about 1000 central daylight time, a Champion 7KCAB airplane, N4136Y, impacted a tree during landing on runway 36 (3,000 ft by 75 ft, turf) at the Williams Flying Service Airport (6LA6), near Winnsboro, Louisiana. The commercial pilot and passenger reported no injuries. The airplane sustained substantial wing and fuselage damage. The airplane was registered to an individual and was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area about the time of the accident, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The local flight departed from 6LA6 about 0930. The pilot reported that during the landing touchdown on the runway the airplane bounced once followed by a "normal" touchdown on the main landing gear wheels. The airplane then veered left off the runway centerline. Right rudder was applied, and it had "no effect." The airplane slowed "considerably" and continued veering to the left after full right ruder was applied. The airplane subsequently impacted a tree where it sustained the substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions. At 0953, the recorded nearby wind was 280° at 10 kts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4136Y
- Reported as
- Champion 7KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 595-76
- Built
- 1976
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 23, 2018
- Departed
- 6LA6 · Winnsboro, LA
- Destination
- 6LA6 · Winnsboro, LA
- Airport
- 6LA6 · Williams Flying Service, runway 36, 3,000 × 75 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
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 15, 2018
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 1,382.9 total · 38 in this make and model · 1,250.6 as pilot in command · 4.4 in the last 90 days · 4.4 in the last 30 days · 0.4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- KMLU, 16 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 MB 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.