American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC accident near Fort Worth, Texas, September 3, 2011
On September 3, 2011 at about 3:30 pm local time, a American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC, registered N242BC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fort Worth, Texas (Alliance airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The certified flight instructor’s improper flare during a simulated emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2011 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · Alliance · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion Aircraft 8GCBC · all 8GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N242BC · registry record · serial 534-2010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A certified flight instructor (CFI) was providing instruction to a private pilot in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. During the CFI’s demonstration of a simulated emergency landing, the airplane made a hard landing, and the right wing struck the runway surface. A postaccident examination revealed that the rear spar was substantially damaged during the hard landing.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › (general) › (general) › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,300 as pilot in command; 2,100 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 30, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 109 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 16 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 16, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 47 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 3, 2010
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T67 Hicks TX
- Destination: T67 Hicks TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 34L, 8,220 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; a few clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from AFW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N242BC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN11CA684.