- Date
- July 14, 2020, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N72EBChampion 7GCBC
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20200714011489A
- Case key
- 101601
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 flight instructor and student pilot did not properly transfer airplane control during ground rollout, which resulted in the airplane exiting the runway and impacting a ditch.
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
The flight instructor stated that the student pilot made a stable approach to the runway during an orientation flight. During ground rollout, the airplane veered to the left and the flight instructor stated "I have the controls" on two different occasions. The student pilot did not understand the flight instructor, which resulted in the two pilots "fighting" over the flight controls. The airplane subsequently exited the runway and struck a ditch, damaging the right wing. The flight instructor stated there were no mechanical issues with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor stated that the student pilot made a stable approach to the runway during an orientation flight. During ground rollout, the airplane veered to the left and the flight instructor stated "I have the controls" on two different occasions. The student pilot did not understand the flight instructor, which resulted in the two pilots "fighting" over the flight controls. The airplane subsequently exited the runway and struck a ditch, damaging the right wing. The flight instructor stated there were no mechanical issues with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72EB
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCBC (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1211-95
- Built
- 1995
- Airframe hours
- 5,468
- Engine
- Lycoming O320-B2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 26, 2020
- Departed
- AXH · Houston, TX
- Destination
- AXH · Houston, TX
- Airport
- AXH · Houston-Southwest, runway 27, 5,002 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 80
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 31, 2020
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 25,624 total · 3,127 in this make and model · 24,800 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1 total · 1 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KAXH
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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 N72EB · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.