# Accident 20030914024859A: Chickamauga, GA, September 14, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 14, 2003, 19:30 local time
- Place: Chickamauga, GA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Touch And Go Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.8775° N, 85.2883° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Chickamauga, GA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.8775&lon=-85.2883&mi=10
- Aircraft: UNKNOWN (not matched to a registry record)
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030914024859A

## Narrative

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

(-23) INSPECTOR'S STATEMENT: ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2003, THE UNDERSIGNED INSPECTOR ASSISTED INSPECTOR JAMES WOODS WITH THE INVESTIGATION OF AN ACCIDENT REPORTED AS AN ULTRALIGHT AT CHICKAMAUGA, GEORGIA, ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2003. ACCORDING TO WRITTEN STATEMENTS GIVEN BY TWO INDIVIDUALS THAT WITNESSED THE OCCURRENCE, THE PILOT, MR. HUBERT SHIRLEY, HAD COMPLETED A "TOUCH AND GO" FROM A PRIVATE STRIP AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO CLEAR SOME TREES. AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET, THE ENGINE STOPPED, THE AIRCRAFT MADE A HARD BANK TO THE RIGHT, AND SPUN IN. THE WRECKAGE HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE IMPACT AREA TO A LOCATION ACROSS THE STREET (THE PRIVATE STRIP) BELONGING TO THE PILOT, MR. SHIRLEY. A SURVEY OF THE IMPACT AREA, LOCATED AT 2552 HWY. 341, CHICKAMAUGA, GEORGIA, INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND AT A 90-DEGREE ANGLE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DISCLOSED THAT THE REMAINS WERE OF AN UNREGISTERED, EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT. THE FUSELAGE FROM THE AFT COCKPIT BULKHEAD FORWARD WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE POWERPLANT APPEARED TO BE THAT OF A VOLKSWAGEN TYPE. THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CONSISTED OF TWO 16-VOLT BATTERIES ONLY, NO GENERATOR OR ALTERNATOR. THE IGNITION SYSTEM APPEARED TO BEAN AUTOMOTIVE TYPE HIGH-ENERGY ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM WITHOUT ANY SORT OF BACK-UP ARRANGEMENT. I COULD NOT FIND ANY EVIDENCE THAT WOULD INDICATE THE AIRCRAFT HAD EVER HAD THE REQUIRED REGISTRATION OR EXPERIMENTAL MARKINGS REQUIRED UNDER FAR 45. A SEARCH OF AIRMAN RECORDS SHOWS THAT MR. SHIRLEY WAS ISSUED A COMMERCIAL PILOT RATING (CERTIFICATE # 256687023) ON SEPTEMBER 21, 1977. RECORDS INDICATE THE MEDICAL CERTIFICATE DATE AS SEPTEMBER 9, 1977.

## NTSB investigation

None matched to this report by aircraft and date. Search the NTSB's own records: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/basic-search

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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