- Date
- July 20, 2022, 12:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Gordon, NE
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7119Champion 7KCAB
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: 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
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220720012849A
- Case key
- 105538
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 loss of control while landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane with a gusty crosswind.
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 pilot reported that he was performing a landing to runway 29 in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. Prior to the tailwheel contacting the runway, the airplane encountered a gust of wind from the left and the pilot lost control of the airplane. The nose of the airplane swerved left, and the pilot attempted to regain directional control using rudder and right brake. Unsuccessful, the airplane continued off the left side of the runway, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that contributed to the accident. The pilot estimated the prevailing wind to be from the west at 12 kt gusting to 17 kts.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7119
- Reported as
- Champion 7KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 165
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 2,269
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hasenfus Heidi J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 16, 2022 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- KRWL · Rawlins, WY
- Destination
- KGRN · Gordon, NE
- Airport
- KGRN · Gordon Municipal Airport, runway 29, 2,284 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Handheld GPS
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
- 67
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 493 total · 336 in this make and model · 429 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KGRN
- METAR
- METAR KGRN 201815Z AUTO 28008KT 10SM CLR 31/07 A3005 RMK AO2 T03110074=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 22, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 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.