Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
was the the second pilot's loss of directional control during the takeoff roll, and the flight instructor/pilot-in-command's inadequate supervision of the flight instructor/second pilot. A related factor was the flight instructor/second pilot's lack of total flight experience in the accident kind of airplane.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On August 21, 1995, about 1630 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N2110E, piloted by a two certificated flight instructors (CFI), sustained substantial damage when it veered off the left side of the runway during an attempted takeoff from Clermont County Airport, in Batavia, Ohio. The two CFIs, the sole occupants, reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local pleasure flight, no flight plan was filed. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91, and the accident occurred during the takeoff roll.
The CFI/Pilot-in-Command (PIC) reported that the CFI rated Second Pilot occupied the front seat, and handled the flight controls during the ground operations and the initiation of the takeoff roll. The CFI/PIC stated that during the takeoff roll she told the Second Pilot to "raise the tail" of the taildragger airplane. She reported that at that point "the airplane veered abruptly and sharply to the left." The CFI/PIC stated "I've got it" and took the controls. The CFI/PIC reported that "by the time [I] secured the controls, the airplane was off the runway left side and it was not possible to regain directional control." The CFI/PIC stated that she was able to clear a ditch in the aircraft's path but "the airplane recontacted the surface crossing a parallel taxiway. [I] closed the throttle and the airplane came to a stop in a blackberry thicket." There was no evidence or claim of preimpact mechanical malfunction. The CFI/Second Pilot reported 2 hours of total flight experience in the accident make and model airplane.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# BFO95LA086