Summary
On February 27, 2020, a Champion 7ECA (N2987Z) was involved in an accident near Athens, TX. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury, with 1 person uninjured out of 2 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The rear seat pilot and the student pilot's failure to see and avoid trees during initial climb following an aborted landing.
The pilot-in-command (PIC) in the back seat reported that the flight was conducted to familiarize the student pilot, in the front seat, with the private airstrip and surrounding obstacles. The airplane touched down "a little" long and bounced. The student pilot aborted the landing and initiated a "max performance" climb. The PIC reported that he had briefed the student pilot as to the obstacles around the departure end of the runway, but the PIC was unable to actually see the obstacles from the rear seat during climb out. The airplane's left wing collided with a tree that was left of the runway centerline. The right wing also struck a tree before the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. The airplane sustained damage to the engine mount, fuselage and both wings.
This accident is documented in NTSB report CEN20CA104. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2987Z.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The rear seat pilot and the student pilot's failure to see and avoid trees during initial climb following an aborted landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot-in-command (PIC) in the back seat reported that the flight was conducted to familiarize the student pilot, in the front seat, with the private airstrip and surrounding obstacles. The airplane touched down "a little" long and bounced. The student pilot aborted the landing and initiated a "max performance" climb. The PIC reported that he had briefed the student pilot as to the obstacles around the departure end of the runway, but the PIC was unable to actually see the obstacles from the rear seat during climb out. The airplane's left wing collided with a tree that was left of the runway centerline. The right wing also struck a tree before the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. The airplane sustained damage to the engine mount, fuselage and both wings. The PIC reported there were no anomalies with the 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# CEN20CA104