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Atlas / NTSB / CEN10CA407

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN10CA407

2010-07-10 Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States Airport · SAF None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N84723

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AERONCA 7AC

Year of manufacture

1946 · 64 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19560425

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AB9C94

Registrant of record

KEISER JOHN T

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane while landing with gusting winds.

Factual narrative

The pilot was landing on a 8,342 feet long by 150 feet wide asphalt runway. The winds reported at the time of the accident were a right quartering headwind of 7 knots with gusts to 19 knots. As the pilot was making a turn to the left to enter a taxiway “a gust of wind” raised the wing, the pilot lost directional control, and the airplane impacted a runway marker sign. There was substantial damage to the right main landing gear, right side of the fuselage, and the propeller. The pilot reported that he was not injured and exited the airplane unassisted. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure with the airplane. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the scene and examined the airplane reported that there were no anomalies with the brake system, tail wheel steering, or flight controls. The pilot was landing on runway 20 with a right quartering headwind of 7 knots, with gusts to 19 knots. The pilot reported that, as he was making a left turn to enter a taxiway, a gust of wind raised the wing before he lost directional control. The airplane then impacted a runway marker sign, causing substantial damage to the right main landing gear, right side of the fuselage, and the propeller. The pilot reported that he was not injured and exited the airplane unassisted. The pilot also reported that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure with the airplane. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the scene and examined the airplane reported that there were no anomalies with the brake system, tailwheel steering, or flight controls. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_CEN10CA407.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.