NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN15CA061
Registry · N274AC
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7EC
Year of manufacture
2007 · 7 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR 0-200-A (100 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20071023
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2B55B
Registrant of record
WELCH THOMAS R
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The loss of airplane control after encountering windshear.
Factual narrative
The sport pilot was performing touch and go landings on runway 17R. During the fourth landing a wind gust turned the airplane to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the track of the airplane with the application of right rudder, however, the airplane did not respond. The pilot added power to go around and the airplane clipped an airport sign. The airplane landed on the grass adjacent to the runway. An examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. He stated further that the winds were variable and low level windshear had been reported at the airport. The sport pilot was performing touch and go landings on runway 17R. During the fourth landing a wind gust turned the airplane to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the track of the airplane with the application of right rudder, however, the airplane did not respond. The pilot added power to go around and the airplane clipped an airport sign. The airplane landed on the grass adjacent to the runway. An examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. He stated further that the winds were variable and low level windshear had been reported at the airport. 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Windshear-Effect on operation - 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_2014_CEN15CA061.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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