Maule MX7 accident near Greenville, North Carolina, April 11, 2010
On April 11, 2010 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Maule MX7, registered N897DC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Greenville, North Carolina (Pitt-Greenville 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 directional control during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 2010 · about 5:40 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Greenville, North Carolina · Pitt-Greenville · 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
- Maule MX7 180A · all MX7s on the register
- Registration
- N897DC · registry record · serial 20012C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane stated that he made a three-point landing on the asphalt runway. After touchdown, the airplane began to pull to the right and the pilot corrected by applying left rudder. The airplane immediately turned "hard left,” collapsing the right main landing gear. The right wing impacted the runway and sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures. The pilot had received a tailwheel endorsement the day prior to the accident, and reported 5 hours of flight time in the accident airplane. He also stated to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he had received limited exposure to operating the tailwheel-equipped airplane on hard-surface runways, as his tailwheel flight instruction was conducted mostly from turf runways.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 205 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 205 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 23, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,877 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NC47 Winterville NC at 4:30 pm
- Destination: PGV Greenville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 6,505 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 5:05 pm from PGV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on June 8, 2010. 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, 11 pages | 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 N897DC 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
- N897DC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Maule MX-7 193 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,346 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O360 1,070 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Pitt-Greenville Airport · nearest airport
- Joint Force HQ Heliport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,130 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N897DC 1 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/ERA10CA227.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.