Champion 7GCAA accident near Ware, Massachusetts, June 27, 2009
On June 27, 2009 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Champion 7GCAA, registered N1879G, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Ware, Massachusetts (Ware 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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2009 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ware, Massachusetts · Ware Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N1879G · no longer on the register · serial 65
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that an annual inspection of the airplane had just been completed and that he was flying the airplane from that location to his home airstrip. The wind was on the nose of the airplane and as he approached the runway for a full stop landing, his approach speed was 55 mph. When the airplane was approximately 1 foot above the runway for a three point landing, the airspeed decreased and the nose dropped. The propeller contacted the soft ground and the airplane nosed over, damaging the vertical stabilizer and right wing lift struts. The pilot reported that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane that caused the accident to occur.
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 in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 946 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 1 in the last 30 days; 946 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 19, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,464 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 27, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0B5 Montague MA at 4:35 pm
- Destination: MA53 Ware MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,030 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from ORH, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.