American Champion Aircraft 7GCAA accident near Bedminster, New Jersey, March 2, 2012
On March 2, 2012 at about 11:00 pm local time, a American Champion Aircraft 7GCAA, registered N518F, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Bedminster, New Jersey (Somerset Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot receiving instruction’s inadvertent movement of the pitch trim control to the nose-down position while attempting a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 2012 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bedminster, New Jersey · Somerset Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion Aircraft 7GCAA · all 7GCAAs on the register
- Registration
- N518F · no longer on the register · serial 5182009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that he and the pilot receiving instruction were practicing traffic pattern work and had performed two simulated engine failures without incident before the accident. The flight instructor initiated a third simulated engine failure at a higher altitude than the previous two and suggested the pilot receiving instruction perform S-turns to lose altitude. During the maneuver, the airplane descended too low to complete a power-off landing to the runway, and the flight instructor told the pilot receiving instruction to perform a go-around. The flight instructor also reached for the throttle to add full power for the go-around, but the airplane abruptly pitched down and impacted the ground, substantially damaging the wings and fuselage. Postaccident examination revealed that the pitch trim control was in the full forward (nose-down) position.
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
- Simulated/training event during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during approach (VFR go-around)
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,804 hours in all; 360 in this make and model; 265 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 6,519 as pilot in command; 6,232 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 31, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 152 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 273 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 29, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cinco De Flyo, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SMQ Bedminster NJ at 10:20 pm
- Destination: SMQ Bedminster NJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,733 ft by 65 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft; scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from SMQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 27, 2012. 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 | Ksmq Weather Observations | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandom of Record: FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1: View of Airplane Wreckage (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.
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.