- Date
- May 1, 2011, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Moultonboro, NH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N61980Champion 7EC-703
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110501009399A
- Case key
- 79149
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 directional control during the landing rollout, which resulted in a collision with trees.
Findings · 4
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, during the landing rollout, a strong wind gust caused him to lose directional control of the airplane. The airplane veered off of the runway and collided with trees. During the accident sequence, the airplane incurred substantial damage to the wing spars. A witness at the airport confirmed the weather anomaly at the time of the accident. The nearest airport's weather observation system reported at the time of the accident that the wind was light and variable.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during landing rollout, a strong wind gust caused him to lose directional control of the airplane. The airplane veered off of the runway and collided with trees. During the accident sequence, the airplane incurred substantial damage to the wing spars. A witness at the airport confirmed the weather anomaly at the time of the accident. The nearest airport's weather observation system reported at the time of the accident that the winds were light and variable.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N61980
- Reported as
- Champion 7EC-703
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7EC-703
- Airframe hours
- 8,314
- Engine
- Continental C90, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hirschfield Robert J
- Registered owner
- Hirschfield Robert J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 10, 2010 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- LCI · Laconia, NH
- Destination
- 5M3 · Moultonboro, NH
- Airport
- 5M3 · Moultonboro Airport, runway 02, 3,475 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,340 total · 1,575 in this make and model · 22 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- LCI, 11 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 22, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 23 KB 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.