# Accident 20260228001899A: Cessna 172L, Bennettsville, SC, February 28, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 28, 2026, 17:05 local time
- Place: Bennettsville, SC
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.7356° N, 79.6706° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7356&lon=-79.6706&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7864G, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7864G) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172L (registry code 2072432, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172l) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172L
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,542 total, 1,666 in this make and model, 63 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA26LA132](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA132) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260228001899A

## Narrative

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

PILOT STATED THAT HE INTENDED TO LAND AT A PRIVATE AIRPORT AND AS HE APPROACHED THEIR GRASS STRIP, HE COULD NOT SEE THEIR RUNWAY DUE TO THE SUN BEING IN HIS EYES.  HE LANDED TO RIGHT OF THEIR LANDING STRIP IN ANOTHER FIELD.  PILOT STATED THAT IN ORDER TO DEPART HE TAXIED TO A PAVED ROAD THAT RAN PARALLEL TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THEIR AIRFIELD. ON DEPARTURE THE LEFT-WING OF THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A TREE AND CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT.

## 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 ERA26LA132](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA132), Feb 28, 2026: Cessna 172L (N7864G), Bennettsville, SC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from trees on takeoff from a rural road.

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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