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CEN11CA450

2011-07-02 · Sugar Land, Texas, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SGR

Current FAA registration · N79RA

Make / Model
AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7GCBC
Year of manufacture
2001 · 10 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20010430
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AAB724

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.

Factual narrative

Following a cross-country flight, the pilot lost directional control of the tailwheel equipped airplane during the landing roll. The airplane exited the side of the runway and ground looped before coming to rest in an upright position. During the ground loop, the right wheel broke off and the right wing sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Following a cross-country flight, the pilot lost directional control of the tailwheel-equipped airplane during the landing roll. The airplane exited the side of the runway and ground-looped before coming to rest in an upright position. During the ground-loop, the right wheel broke off and the right wing sustained substantial damage when it impacted the ground. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_CEN11CA450.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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