American Champion Aircraft 7GCBC accident near Plainville, Connecticut, March 10, 2022
On March 10, 2022 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1998 American Champion Aircraft 7GCBC, registered N91JB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Plainville, Connecticut (Robertson Field 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 2022 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Plainville, Connecticut · Robertson Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion Aircraft 7GCBC, built 1998 · all 7GCBCs on the register
- Registration
- N91JB · no longer on the register · serial 1251-98
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to practice wheel landings in the tailwheel equipped airplane. The third approach was normal, and the airplane touched down to the right of centerline of the runway. The pilot applied left rudder to maneuver the airplane onto the centerline and “inadvertently engaged” the toe brake, which resulted in a veer to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the turn; however, he “over corrected” and the airplane departed the right side of the runway into the grass. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 974 hours in all; 427 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 506 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 12, 2020
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,245 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 17, 2022; 3 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming Engines O-320 (piston); 1,245 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,665 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from HFD, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHFD 101553Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 05/M01 A3020 RMK AO2 SLP225 T00501011
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.
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 ERA22LA152.