N729CM

Substantial
Minor

VANS RV-7AS/N: 71712

Accident Details

Date
Sunday, September 16, 2007
NTSB Number
DFW07CA200
Location
Vernon, TX
Event ID
20071126X01845
Coordinates
34.231666, -99.278892
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
Highest Injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
0
Minor Injuries
1
Uninjured
0
Total Aboard
1

Probable Cause and Findings

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while landing. A contributing factor was the prevailing tailwind.

Aircraft Information

Registration
N729CM
Make
VANS
Serial Number
71712
Engine Type
Reciprocating
Year Built
2005
Model / ICAO
RV-7ARV7
Aircraft Type
Fixed Wing Single Engine
No. of Engines
1

Registered Owner (Historical)

Name
MORRIS CAROL CRAIG
Address
729 AVIATOR DR
Status
Deregistered
City
FORT WORTH
State / Zip Code
TX 76179-5418
Country
United States

Analysis

The 603-hour private pilot lost control of the homebuilt airplane while landing with a tailwind. The pilot, who was also the builder of the airplane, stated on the NTSB form 6120.1 (Pilot/Operator Accident/Incident Report) that during her first attempt to land, she "was getting strong wind gusts and about the time she flared the airplane, a strong wind gust shot me 50 feet in the air." The pilot then applied power and regained runway alignment and came around for a second landing attempt on Runway 02. The pilot reported that her second landing attempt resulted in a hard landing. When the nose gear contacted the ground the pilot encountered "a bad shimmy and when it settled I knew I did not have control of the airplane." Following the loss of control, the airplane was reported to have turned sharply to the right, nosed-over and came to rest in the inverted position. The wind at the time of the mishap was reported from 200 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 19 knots. The pilot added that she had noted during Unicom radio traffic that the landing traffic was to Runway 20 and she mistakenly landed to Runway 02.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DFW07CA200