American Champion 7AC N85510
30 April 2016 · Keene, New Hampshire, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 30 April 2016 at about 20:15 local time, a American Champion 7AC registered N85510 was involved in an accident near Keene, New Hampshire, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Keene, New Hampshire, United States
- Nearest airport
- Dillant-Hopkins Airport (EEN)
- Coordinates
- 42.8983, -72.2708
- Aircraft
- American Champion 7AC
- Registration
- N85510
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1946
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Keene → Keene
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA16LA174
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The disengagement of the tailwheel locking mechanism during the landing roll due to wear, and a subsequent loss of directional control. Contributing was the pilot's inadequate remedial action, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The sport pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane had completed one touch-and-go landing uneventfully on a 6,201-ft-long, 100-ft-wide asphalt runway. During the second landing, the tailwheel began to "shimmy." Rather than apply forward control stick pressure to reduce weight on the tailwheel and alleviate the shimmy, the pilot held the control stick fully aft as the airplane departed the left side of the runway and impacted an approach path indicator light. Examination of the tailwheel locking mechanism revealed that it was worn and had unlocked during touchdown. The pilot should have been able to compensate for a tailwheel shimmy at touchdown by reducing the weight on the tailwheel. The condition of the tailwheel locking mechanism should have been checked during the last annual inspection; however, it is possible that the locking mechanism could have worn further during the 7 months between the most recent inspection and the accident flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other American Champion 7 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 May 2016 | American Champion 7GCBC | Warner, New Hampshire, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2017 | American Champion 7GCAA | Bainbridge, Georgia, United States | AG Flight Pilot Training | No injuries | - |
| 20 Dec 2017 | American Champion 7GCAA | Longmont, Colorado, United States | Fly Elite Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 18 Mar 2015 | American Champion 7GCAA | Greensboro, North Carolina, United States | Echo Tango LLC | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 2018 | American Champion 7GCBC | Santa Paula, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Nov 2014 | American Champion 7EC | Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jul 2016 | Cessna 180 | New Durham, New Hampshire, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jul 2016 | Piper PA 44 | Keene, New Hampshire, United States | Plane Nonsense Inc | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 2016 | Champion 7AC | Gorham, New Hampshire, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 2016 | Chaudoin George S RV 10 | Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Nov 2016 | Cessna 172 | Concord, New Hampshire, United States | Concord Aviation Services | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2016 | Grenier Raymond VANS AIRCRAFT | Keene, New Hampshire, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |