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Atlas / NTSB / CEN20CA281

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN20CA281

2020-07-14 Houston, Texas, United States Airport · AXH None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N72EB

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 7GCBC

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19951108

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A9A199

Registrant of record

VECTOR AIRMOTIVE LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight instructor and student pilot did not properly transfer airplane control during ground rollout, which resulted in the airplane exiting the runway and impacting a ditch.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor stated that the student pilot made a stable approach to the runway during an orientation flight. During ground rollout, the airplane veered to the left and the flight instructor stated "I have the controls" on two different occasions. The student pilot did not understand the flight instructor, which resulted in the two pilots "fighting" over the flight controls. The airplane subsequently exited the runway and struck a ditch, damaging the right wing. The flight instructor stated there were no mechanical issues with the airplane. The flight instructor stated that the student pilot made a stable approach to the runway during an orientation flight. During ground rollout, the airplane veered to the left and the flight instructor stated "I have the controls" on two different occasions. The student pilot did not understand the flight instructor, which resulted in the two pilots "fighting" over the flight controls. The airplane subsequently exited the runway and struck a ditch, damaging the right wing. The flight instructor stated there were no mechanical issues with the airplane. 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 Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN20CA281.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.