- Date
- August 2, 2013, 11:43 local (18:43 UTC)
- Place
- Sonoma, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4738EChampion 7EC
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20130802014319A
- Case key
- 87659
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 during the landing roll.
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
During a practice landing, the pilot lost directional control on the landing roll and drifted towards the right. The pilot did not act in a timely manner to prevent the airplane from departing the runway surface and the airplane subsequently struck foliage and sustained substantial damage to the wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
During a practice landing, the pilot lost directional control on the landing roll and drifted towards the right. The pilot did not act in a timely manner to prevent the airplane from departing the runway surface and the airplane subsequently struck foliage and sustained substantial damage to the wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4738E
- Reported as
- Champion 7EC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7EC-83
- Built
- 1950
- Engine
- Cont Motor C90 SERIES, 95 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 0Q9 · Sonoma, CA
- Destination
- 0Q9 · Sonoma, CA
- Airport
- 0Q9 · Sonoma Skypark, runway 08, 2,480 × 40 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
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 28, 2012
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 150 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- DVO, 9 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 12, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 353 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.