[chris]

A single-engine Maule M-7-235C, N79VE, crashed near Abbeville, SC, on March 20, 2023. The airplane sustained substantial damage.

Two pilots were aboard, including a flight instructor. One person was seriously injured.

The accident was caused by a loss of directional control during landing, which resulted in a ground loop and substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot flying could not be determined because both pilots said the other was at the controls during the landing. The flight instructor showed poor judgment by accepting the training flight without prior experience in the airplane make and model.