- Date
- December 26, 2022, 12:35 local (17:35 UTC)
- Place
- Hampton, NH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2895ZBellanca 7ECA
- 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
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20221226018999A
- Case key
- 106494
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 failure to maintain directional control of the airplane while landing in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a runway excursion.
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 pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the uneventful local flight he heard two pilots on the radio discussing the wind conditions at his destination airport and that a direct crosswind prevailed there. While approaching the runway for landing, the pilot described that the wind was “choppy” and that he applied constant inputs with the rudder and aileron controls. Near the midpoint of the runway, the pilot described that he encountered stronger than expected wind from the right. The pilot landed the airplane on both main wheels and applied left rudder to stay aligned with the runway. Despite the control input from the pilot, the airplane veered to the right, departed the right side of the runway, and nosed-over resulting in substantial damage to the wings and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2895Z
- Reported as
- Bellanca 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1242-78
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 2,232.1
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 2, 2022
- Departed
- 7B3 · Hampton, NH
- Airport
- 7B3 · -70.8301542, runway 20, 2,105 × 121 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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 18, 2021
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 651 total · 51 in this make and model · 543 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- PSM, 7 nm away
- METAR
- KPSM 261655Z 24008KT 10SM BKN250 M01/M12 A3009 RMK AO2A SLP193 T10091119
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 15, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.1 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.