June 03, Frederick, Md. / American Champion 7GCAA

At 1235 eastern time, an American Champion 7GCAA registered to the factory was damaged while landing at Frederick Municipal Airport. The flight instructor and private pilot were not injured. The pilot was executing his first landing in the airplane in an effort to obtain a tailwheel endorsement. After the airplane touched down on runway 23, it veered to the left at a 45-degree angle. The instructor assumed the controls and added full power. The airplane climbed back into the air and the CFI tried to realign it with the runway centerline. The airplane descended back to the ground and touched down hard on the left main landing gear, shearing the landing gear assembly from the fuselage. The air...

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • An American Champion 7GCAA sustained significant damage during a tailwheel endorsement landing attempt at Frederick Municipal Airport.
  • After an initial touchdown and veer, the instructor's go-around attempt resulted in a hard landing that sheared off the left main landing gear.
  • The aircraft departed the runway, with its left wing digging into the ground, though both the flight instructor and private pilot were uninjured.
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At 1235 eastern time, an American Champion 7GCAA registered to the factory was damaged while landing at Frederick Municipal Airport. The flight instructor and private pilot were not injured. The pilot was executing his first landing in the airplane in an effort to obtain a tailwheel endorsement. After the airplane touched down on runway 23, it veered to the left at a 45-degree angle. The instructor assumed the controls and added full power. The airplane climbed back into the air and the CFI tried to realign it with the runway centerline. The airplane descended back to the ground and touched down hard on the left main landing gear, shearing the landing gear assembly from the fuselage. The airplane then departed the left side of the runway, where the left wing dug into the ground.

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