Champion 7ECA N2987Z

Summary

On 27 February 2020 at about 23:00 local time, a Champion 7ECA registered N2987Z was involved in an accident near Athens, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 February 2020 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Athens, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (PVT)

Coordinates

32.4200, -95.8200

Aircraft

Champion 7ECA

Registration

N2987Z

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Athens → Athens

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA104

1 person had minor injuries.

The rear seat pilot and the student pilot's failure to see and avoid trees during initial climb following an aborted landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot in the rear seat reported that the flight was conducted to familiarize the student pilot, who was in the front seat, with the private airstrip and surrounding obstacles. The airplane touched down "a little" long and bounced. The student aborted the landing and initiated a "max performance" climb. The pilot reported that he had briefed the student about the obstacles near the departure end of the runway but that he was unable to see the obstacles from the rear seat during climbout. The airplane impacted two trees, the right wing struck a utility pole, and the airplane then impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount, fuselage, and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.