Champion 7ECA N11177

Summary

On 9 April 2005 at about 14:45 local time, a Champion 7ECA registered N11177 was involved in an accident near Mexico, Missouri, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 April 2005 at 14:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Mexico, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (PVT)

Coordinates

39.1575, -91.8183

Aircraft

Champion 7ECA

Registration

N11177

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mexico → Mexico

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI05CA096

Nobody was injured.

The pilot inadvertently using the wrong runway for takeoff, which resulted in a tailwind condition. Factors to the accident were the tailwind, the aborted takeoff, the wet grass runway, and the road embankment.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted a road embankment during an aborted takeoff. The pilot reported that before he boarded the airplane the winds were "200 degrees at 10 [knots]." The private airstrip consisted of a grass/turf, 1,300 foot long, north/south runway. The pilot stated that his intention was to depart from runway 18, but "because of distraction or whatever" he taxied to runway 36 and initiated the takeoff. The pilot reported, "I knew that I should be airborne or feeling very light by the time that I got to a bump about [halfway] down the runway from either direction. When I got to the bump without the tail coming up and with an indicated airspeed of about 35 mph I knew that something was seriously wrong and knew instantly what the problem was. I was taking-off with the wind." The pilot reported that he aborted the takeoff by reducing engine power to idle and braking. The pilot stated that the grass runway was wet with dew and the aircraft overran the end of the runway, impacting a road embankment.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.