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CEN10CA407

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

Airport SAF

Current FAA registration · N84723

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

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

FAA avdata. C = Cause, 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 ↗.

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