Hagerty RV-7A N954CH

Summary

On 15 June 2013 at about 17:13 local time, a Hagerty RV-7A registered N954CH, operated by Charles J. Hagerty, was involved in an accident near Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 June 2013 at 17:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Altoona, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Altoona-Blair County Airport (AOO)

Coordinates

40.2964, -78.3200

Aircraft

Hagerty RV-7A

Registration

N954CH

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Charles J. Hagerty

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lynchburg → Altoona

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA13LA288

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's improper recovery from an encounter with a wind gust during landing, which resulted in a hard landing on, and displacement of, the nose landing gear and a subsequent runway excursion and noseover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane maintained 80 mph on final approach and slowed to 70 mph at touchdown. Upon touchdown on the main landing gear, the pilot reported that a wind gust occurred, and the airplane subsequently climbed and then landed hard on the nose landing gear, which bent under. The airplane then rolled off the runway onto grass and nosed over. The pilot reported no preimpact failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation. Both occupants reported having their lapbelts "snug" but not as tight as they could have been. Postaccident examination revealed that the nose landing gear was displaced and that a person's head with a similar sitting height as both occupants would have been about 1 inch below a crush line between the vertical stabilizer and the engine cowling. When the airplane inverted, both occupants struck their heads and sustained neck injuries that likely resulted from proximity of their heads to the canopy and might have been exacerbated by any slack in their restraints. Although postaccident measurements of the restraints confirm the occupants' statements that they were less than tight, anthropomorphic data for both occupants was not obtained, therefore; the amount of slack in either seat restraint was not conclusively determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.