- Date
- July 29, 2000, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rayville, LA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2978GChampion 7KCAB
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000729008009A
- Case key
- 49938
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 maintain directional control. A factor was the wind gusts.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight instructor was demonstrating a normal landing to the south in a tailwheel-equipped aircraft. The pilot made a 3-point touchdown with a 'light crosswind.' The airplane rolled 300-400 feet down the runway, and when the airplane was abeam a tree line, a gust of wind veered the airplane toward the right edge of the runway. The flight instructor attempted to correct for the wind gust; however, his 'heel slid off of the heel brake.' The flight instructor 'held full rudder and got back on brake too late.' The airplane exited the right side of the runway, and subsequently impacted a ditch. The pilot added that the wind was out of the southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 18 knots.
Factual narrative
On July 29, 2000, at 1000 central daylight time, a Champion 7KCAB tailwheel-equipped airplane, N2978G, was substantially damaged when it impacted a ditch during the landing roll at the John H. Hooks Jr. Memorial Airport near Rayville, Louisiana. The airplane was registered to and operated by Barham Bros. Inc., of Oak Ridge, Louisiana. The flight instructor and the private pilot receiving instruction were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The local flight originated from the John H. Hooks Jr. Memorial Airport at 0830.
According to the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), the flight instructor stated that he was demonstrating a normal landing on runway 18 at the end of the instructional flight. He reported that he "touched down 3-point with light crosswind." The airplane rolled 300-400 feet down the runway, and when the airplane was abeam a tree line, a gust of wind veered the airplane toward the right edge of the runway. The flight instructor stated that he attempted to correct for the wind gust; however, his "heel slid off of the heel brake." The flight instructor "held full rudder and got back on brake too late." The airplane exited the right side of the runway, and subsequently impacted a ditch. The pilot added that the wind was out of the southwest at 10 knots, gusting to 18 knots.
According to the FAA inspectors who examined the airplane, the airplane's fuselage sustained structural damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2978G
- Reported as
- Champion 7KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 70
- Airframe hours
- 2,565
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Barham Bros., Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 22, 2000 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- M79
- Airport
- M79 · John H Hooks Jr. Memorial, runway 18, 3,699 × 75 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
- 63
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 4,400 total · 500 in this make and model · 4,300 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
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 N2978G · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.