# Accident 19971106032619A: Bbavia 7ECA, Hamilton, GA, November 6, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 6, 1997, 18:45 local time
- Place: Hamilton, GA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Scud Running
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.7497° N, 84.8704° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7497&lon=-84.8704&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9556S, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9556S-1998-06-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Champion 7ECA (registry code 21101NN, https://openairdocs.org/model/champion-7eca) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BBAVIA 7ECA
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL98FA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL98FA007) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971106032619A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

VFR PILOT ATTEMPTED TO FLY UNDER IFR CONDITIONS AND COLLIDED WITH TREES. (-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 1845 EST, ON 11/06/97, MR. WILLIAM B. CHAPMAN, PILOTTING CHAMPION N9556S NEAR HAMILTON, GEORGIA, COLLIDED WITH TREES NEAR THE TOP OF A RIDGE.  MR. CHAPMAN HAD NO INSTRUMENT RATING AND INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE AREA.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND MR. CHAPMAN, THE ONLY OCCUPANT WAS FATALLY INJURED.  NO ONE INJURED ON GROUND AND THERE WAS NO POST CRASH FIRE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ATL98FA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL98FA007), Nov 6, 1997: Champion 7ECA (N9556S), Hamilton, GA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude or clearance from mountainous terrain. Related factors were: darkness, adverse…

## Other reports on N9556S (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19871215080959I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19871215080959I), Dec 15, 1987: Bbavia 7ECA (N9556S), Goodwins, ME, Minor damage. Engine lost power then stopped. Forced landing in a cultivated field. Suspect carburetor icing. Main gear torn off.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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