Champion 7ECA N9122E accident near Taylorsville, North Carolina

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper approach, which resulted in a long landing right of the runway centerline and the airplane’s subsequent collision with a riding mower that would have been difficult for the pilot to see due to its color and the nose-high attitude of the tailwheel-equipped airplane during landing.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot reported that, during landing at his destination airport, the tailwheel-equipped airplane struck a riding mower from behind. The airplane nosed over on top of the operator and riding mower, and the operator sustained fatal injuries.

Examination of the accident site revealed that the mower was off the right side of the 2,400-ft-long by 60-ft-wide turf runway, was traveling parallel to it while facing away from the airplane, and was about 180 ft from the end of the runway when it was struck. This evidence indicates that the pilot likely landed the airplane right of the runway centerline and not within the first one-third of the runway as recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration. If the pilot had landed within the first one-third of the runway, according to the airplane manufacturer's published landing data, he should have been able stop the airplane before reaching the mower.

Examination of the accident site and the riding mower revealed that, due to the mower's dark green color, it would have been difficult for the pilot to see it from the air because it would have blended into the green turf areas surrounding the runway. Additionally, given that the airplane was tailwheel-equipped, the engine cowling would have restricted the pilot's view of the area directly ahead of the airplane as it approached the runway in a nose-high attitude, which would have made the riding mower difficult, if not impossible, for the pilot to see.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14LA212 for the full record.