- Date
- August 7, 2012, 10:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Norridgewock, ME
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N83129Aeronca 7CCM
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 5, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Portland FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120807017039A
- Case key
- 84601
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 directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion.
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 student pilot stated that while landing on runway 21, immediately following contact of the main landing gear onto the runway, the right wing “came up.” The pilot compensated with left rudder and right aileron and kept the aircraft centered on the runway. Shortly thereafter, the right wing raised up a second time. The airplane then departed the right side of the runway and came to rest after the right wing impacted a tree 270 feet from the runway. A flight instructor at the airport stated that the wind favored runway 21 but had reversed direction during the accident flight. A meteorological report from the airport indicated wind from 190 degrees at 3 knots about the time of the accident, with no wind speeds exceeding 3 knots throughout the duration of the landing roll. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the right wing spar. The examination did not reveal any evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane following the accident.
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated that while landing on runway 21, immediately following contact of the main landing gear onto the runway, the right wing “came up.” The pilot compensated with left rudder and right aileron and kept the aircraft centered on the runway. Shortly thereafter, the right wing raised up a second time. The airplane then departed the right side of the runway and came to rest after the right wing impacted a tree located 270 feet from the runway. A certified flight instructor at the airport stated that the wind favored runway 21 but had reversed direction during the accident flight. A meteorological report from the airport indicated wind from 190 degrees at 3 knots about the time of the accident with no wind speeds exceeding 3 knots throughout the duration of the landing roll. Post-accident inspection revealed substantial damage to the right wing spar. The inspection did not reveal any evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane following the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N83129
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7CCM
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1787
- Airframe hours
- 1,146
- Engine
- Cont Motor C90 SERIES, 95 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 7, 2012 · 32 hours before
- Departed
- KOLD · Old Town, ME
- Destination
- KOWK · Norridgewock, ME
- Airport
- KOWK · Central Main Airport of Norrid, runway 21, 3,999 × 90 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 36 total · 25 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KOWK
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 7, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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.