- Date
- February 27, 2020, 17:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Athens, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2987ZChampion 7ECA
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200227004949A
- Case key
- 101011
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 rear seat pilot and the student pilot's failure to see and avoid trees during initial climb following an aborted landing.
Findings · 5
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 in the rear seat reported that the flight was conducted to familiarize the student pilot, who was in the front seat, with the private airstrip and surrounding obstacles. The airplane touched down "a little" long and bounced. The student aborted the landing and initiated a "max performance" climb. The pilot reported that he had briefed the student about the obstacles near the departure end of the runway but that he was unable to see the obstacles from the rear seat during climbout. The airplane impacted two trees, the right wing struck a utility pole, and the airplane then impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount, fuselage, and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot-in-command (PIC) in the back seat reported that the flight was conducted to familiarize the student pilot, in the front seat, with the private airstrip and surrounding obstacles. The airplane touched down "a little" long and bounced. The student pilot aborted the landing and initiated a "max performance" climb. The PIC reported that he had briefed the student pilot as to the obstacles around the departure end of the runway, but the PIC was unable to actually see the obstacles from the rear seat during climb out. The airplane's left wing collided with a tree that was left of the runway centerline. The right wing also struck a tree before the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. The airplane sustained damage to the engine mount, fuselage and both wings. The PIC reported there were no anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2987Z
- Reported as
- Champion 7ECA (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1246-78
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 5,882
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 16, 2019
- Departed
- PVT · Athens, TX
- Destination
- PVT · Athens, TX
- Airport
- PVT · Private Airstrip, runway 02, 1,150 × 100 ft, dirt
- Equipment
- None
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 13, 2019
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 7,917 total · 154 in this make and model · 5,649 as pilot in command · 58 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 22 total · 22 in this make and model · 22 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- KF44, 15 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 1, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.1 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.
Other investigations on N2987Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.