- Date
- August 25, 2001, 10:28 local (17:28 UTC)
- Place
- Reno, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9857BChampion 7FC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flt Stnds Dist Office
- FAA report
- 20010825022699A
- Case key
- 53133
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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
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 aircraft had been converted from a tricycle landing gear configuration to a tail wheel configuration. The accident occurred as the pilot performed a wheel landing and, although the wind was reported calm, he thought there was a gust because the aircraft veered to the left, then reversed to the right, and ground looped. The main landing gear collapsed and the left wing contacted the runway. The pilot reported that on the previous landing the wind sock was "dead calm"; however, during the accident landing the wind sock showed a left crosswind. At the nearest weather reporting point, 11 miles distant, the surface wind speed was reported to have been 3 knots.
Factual narrative
On August 25, 2001, at 1028 hours Pacific daylight time, a Champion 7FC, N9857B, was substantially damaged during a landing ground loop at the Reno/Stead airport, Reno, Nevada. The commercial certificated pilot and one passenger were not injured. The local area personal flight was operated by the owner under 14 CFR Part 91, and departed at 0930. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot told the Safety Board investigator that the aircraft had been converted from a tricycle landing gear configuration to a (7EC) tail wheel configuration. The accident occurred as he performed a wheel landing on runway 26 and, although the wind was reported calm, he thought there was a gust because the aircraft veered to the left, then reversed to the right, and ground looped. The main landing gear collapsed and the left wing contacted the runway. The pilot reported that on the previous landing the wind sock was "dead calm"; however, during the accident landing the wind sock showed a left crosswind.
At Reno International Airport, 11 miles southeast, the surface wind was reported to have been from 250 degrees at 3 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9857B
- Reported as
- Champion 7FC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 183
- Airframe hours
- 4,147
- Engine
- Continental C-90-12F, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael F. Walsh
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 10, 2001 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- 4SD · Reno, NV
- Airport
- 4SD · Reno/Stead, runway 26, 7,600 × 150 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- December 20, 1999
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 10,500 total · 93 in this make and model · 10,387 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO, 11 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.