- Date
- September 7, 2023, 10:47 local (17:47 UTC)
- Place
- Woodland, CA · airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N234RAAmerican Champion 7GCBC
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: 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
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20230907016399A
- Case key
- 193151
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, which resulted in a ground loop.
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 pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that shortly after touchdown, during the landing roll, the airplane veered left, exited the runway, and ground looped. Subsequently, the right wing impacted the ground and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N234RA
- Reported as
- American Champion 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13512003
- Built
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 975.8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Tom Eaton Consulting LLC
- Registered owner
- Tom Eaton Consulting LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 27, 2023
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- O41 · Watts-Woodland, runway 18, 3,759 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 31, 2022
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 2,438.8 total · 39.2 in this make and model · 2,220.1 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KSMF, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KSMF 071653Z 16005KT 10SM CLR 21/13 A2994 RMK AO2 SLP139 T02060128=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.9 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.
Other investigations on N234RA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.