Champion 7ECA N2987Z accident near Athens, Texas

Probable cause

The rear seat pilot and the student pilot's failure to see and avoid trees during initial climb following an aborted landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot in the rear seat reported that the flight was conducted to familiarize the student pilot, who was in the front seat, with the private airstrip and surrounding obstacles. The airplane touched down "a little" long and bounced. The student aborted the landing and initiated a "max performance" climb. The pilot reported that he had briefed the student about the obstacles near the departure end of the runway but that he was unable to see the obstacles from the rear seat during climbout. The airplane impacted two trees, the right wing struck a utility pole, and the airplane then impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount, fuselage, and both wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20CA104 for the full record.