Collision with terrain involving American Champion Aircraft, 7GCBC, Orange Airport, New South Wales, on 10 February 2018

What happened

On 10 February 2018, the pilot of an American Champion Aircraft 7GCBC was conducting solo circuit training at Orange, New South Wales (NSW), on the unrated cross runway 04, which has a grassed red clay surface.

At 0930 Eastern Daylight-saving Time (EDT), during a touch-and-go landing in gusty wind conditions, the aircraft landed hard and bounced. After the aircraft bounced a second time, the pilot applied power and attempted to go-around but during the initial climb, struck the airport perimeter fence.

The pilot sustained a minor bump on the head but was otherwise uninjured. The aircraft’s right wheel was torn off and there was damage to the right side of the tail and the right wingtip. The aircraft’s propeller was also bent.

Safety message

This incident highlights the importance of maintaining directional control when landing, particularly in gusty conditions. A Safety Alert produced by the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States, Stay Centred: Preventing Loss of Control During Landing, addresses this issue and directs pilots to other resources which provide guidance in conducting crosswind approaches and landings.

About this report

Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.