- Date
- April 15, 2024, 13:23 local (18:23 UTC)
- Place
- Lakeport, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N798LAmerican Champion 7ECA
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- 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
- 20240415011009A
- Case key
- 194180
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 student pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the final approach, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Findings · 3
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 student pilot reported that, during the eleventh landing, they did not correct for a decreasing airspeed and stalled the airplane about 5 to 10 ft above the runway surface. The student pilot attempted to correct with throttle; however, the airplane dropped and impacted the runway hard on the right main landing gear followed by a ground swerve to the right then left. The right wing struck the runway which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing spar. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N798L
- Reported as
- American Champion 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1393-2005
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 8,257
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-K2C, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Letourneau University
- Registered owner
- Letourneau University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 2, 2024
- Airport
- KGGG · East Texas Regional, runway 18, 600 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, 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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2023
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 388 total · 165 in this make and model · 326 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 183 total · 81 in this make and model · 17 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KGGG
- METAR
- SPECI KGGG 151826Z 17009KT 10SM FEW025 OVC034 25/19 A2993 RMK AO2 T02500194=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 27, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.8 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.
Other investigations on N798L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.