Aeronca CHAMPION N9870B

Summary

On 25 July 2007 at about 21:00 local time, a Aeronca CHAMPION registered N9870B was involved in an accident near Kirbyville, Texas, 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

25 July 2007 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kirbyville, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (999)

Coordinates

30.6428, -93.8503

Aircraft

Aeronca CHAMPION

Registration

N9870B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kirbyville → Beaumont/Port A

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW07CA177

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inability to maintain directional control during takeoff roll as result of the failure of the airplane's tailwheel's steering arm.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot lost control of airplane when the steering arm from the tailwheel assembly failed during the initial takeoff roll. The 20,000-hours airline transport rated pilot reported that about 250-feet along the takeoff roll, when the airplane was accelerating through 40 to 45 mph, the airplane started to pull to the right and his full left rudder input was unable maintain directional control. The 2,600-feet long by 80-foot wide grass airstrip featured a 4 to 5 foot deep ditch along the right side of the airstrip. The pilot added that he attempted to get airborne prematurely and the airplane was able to clear the ditch; however, after clearing the ditch, the right wing became entangled in some tall grass and airplane subsequently impacted the ground. The vintage airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot and passenger exited the airplane unassisted. An examination of the airplane revealed that the fuselage sustained structural damage. A detailed examination of the tailwheel assembly confirmed that the steering arm was completely fractured. The wind at the time of the accident was reported as calm. The pilot had accumulated approximately 30 hours in the same make and model.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.