Aeronca 7AC accident near Corsicana, Texas, January 24, 2011
On January 24, 2011 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Aeronca 7AC, registered N81800, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Corsicana, Texas (Corsicana Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 24, 2011 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Corsicana, Texas · Corsicana Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N81800 · registry record · serial 7AC423
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was on his first solo cross-country flight in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. While landing at his destination airport, the airplane swerved to the left and the student pilot attempted to regain directional control, but was unable. The airplane exited the side of the runway and nosed over, coming to rest in an inverted position. The airplane’s right wing and right wing struts sustained substantial damage during the accident. The student pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
Dual student
- Flight time: 28 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,115 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 23, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flywithrobert LLC
The flight
- Departed from: FWS Fort Worth TX at 5:02 pm
- Destination: CRS Corsicana TX
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 14, 5,004 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from CRS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 9, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 1, Rear Quarter View of Airplane | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N81800 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N81800 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aeronca 7 Champion (Champ) 2,355 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aeronca 3,953 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors C-85 4,672 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- C David Campbell Fld-Corsicana Municipal · nearest airport
- Fort Worth Spinks Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,966 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N81800 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11CA157.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.