- Date
- October 5, 2022, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- San Antonio, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N119TXAeronca 7BCM
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration, San Antonio, FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221005016269A
- Case key
- 106075
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’s failure to attain/maintain aircraft control during landing.
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 was demonstrating a three-point landing during an instructional flight when the airplane bounced on the runway and ground looped. The instructor recovered the airplane from the ground loop as it departed the runway surface and then added engine power to try to avoid impact with a wall that was part of the runway’s bridge over a creek. The airplane impacted the wall and fell into the creek. The airplane sustained substantial damage that included damage to the airplane fuselage and engine mount. The flight instructor stated that there was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N119TX
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7BCM
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7BCM-343
- Built
- 1947
- Airframe hours
- 1,849
- Engine
- Continental C-85, 85 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 10, 2022
- Departed
- 1TT8 · Bulverde, TX
- Destination
- 1TT8 · Bulverde, TX
- Airport
- 1TT8 · Bulverde Airpark, runway 16, 2,890 × 40 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- March 5, 2022
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 5,200 total · 31 in this make and model · 3,850 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 0.5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 69
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2020
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 100 in this make and model · 2,200 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- SAT, 12 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 6, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 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.