Aeronca 7CCM accident near Rochester, New Hampshire, December 11, 2010
On December 11, 2010 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Aeronca 7CCM, registered N2053E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Rochester, New Hampshire (Skyhaven 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The out-of-rig condition of the tailwheel lock, which resulted in a loss of directional control on landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 2010 · about 1:00 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Rochester, New Hampshire · Skyhaven Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7CCM · all 7CCMs on the register
- Registration
- N2053E · registry record · serial 7AC-5623
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the first three landings, with the student pilot at the controls, the airplane veered to the left upon touchdown. On the fourth landing, the airplane veered left again, and then the tailwheel momentarily lifted off the runway. When the tailwheel came back down, the airplane pulled hard to the left, but the flight instructor regained some directional control. The airplane departed the runway surface and struck the surface-mounted precision approach path indicator, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. A postaccident inspection by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the tailwheel unlocked easily when shaken manually.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Malfunction other cases naming the landing gear
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,050 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 2 hours in all; 2 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,802 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C90 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rochester Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: DAW Rochester NH at 12:30 pm
- Destination: DAW Rochester NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 4,001 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from DAW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 17, 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, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Correspondence with FAA Inspector | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2053E 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: Cont Motor C90 SERIES 2,149 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Skyhaven Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in New Hampshire 393 since 1982 · 57 in the last ten years
- New Hampshire 1,560 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA11LA084.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.