# NTSB ATL05CA040: Champion 7FC, N8566E, Soperton, GA, January 6, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: January 6, 2005, 16:30 local (21:30 UTC) - Place: Soperton, GA - Coordinates: 32.329444, -82.635002 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.3294&lon=-82.6350&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report March 30, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA - Atlanta FSDO - 11 - NTSB case key (mKey): 60819 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL05CA040 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60819/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL05CA040 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during takeoff roll, which resulted in an on-ground collision with trees. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in a tailwheel airplane. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, takeoff - roll/run - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - On ground/water collision with object, takeoff - roll/run - object - tree(s) ## Analysis The pilot stated he initiated a takeoff roll, and the airplane veered to the left. The pilot's attempts to regain control were unsuccessful, and the airplane's left wingtip struck trees along the left edge of the runway. The airplane then spun around the left, and the right wing root and the propeller spinner struck the trees. The pilot stated there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. The pilot reported he had not received tailwheel instruction from a certificated flight instructor, and he did not have a tailwheel endorsement. He stated he had accumulated about 0.4 hours in the airplane. ## Factual narrative On January 6, 2005, at 1630 eastern standard time, a Champion 7FC tailwheel conversion, N8566E, registered to and operated by a private owner, collided with trees during takeoff roll at Cauley Airstrip (private) in Soperton, Georgia. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditioned prevailed. The private pilot reported no injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident on January 6, 2005. The pilot stated he applied full throttle and initiated a takeoff roll. The pilot stated that after the tailwheel raised off the ground, the airplane yawed and veered to the left, and the right wing dipped. As the pilot attempted to regain control of the airplane, the left wingtip struck trees along the left edge of the runway. The airplane then spun around the left, and the right wing root and the propeller spinner struck the trees. Examination of the airplane revealed the left wingtip was damaged, the right wing spar was damaged, and the engine mount was bent. The pilot stated there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane. The pilot reported he had not received tailwheel instruction from a certificated flight instructor, and he did not have a tailwheel endorsement. He stated he had accumulated about 0.4 hours in the airplane. Cauley Airstrip is approximately 1800 feet long and 150 feet wide. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8566E](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8566E), registered now, S/N 7FC-354, built 1959 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Champion 7FC - Registry model: [Champion 7FC](https://openairdocs.org/model/champion-7fc) (registry code 21101NX) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C90 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c90-series) (registry code 17009, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 7FC-354 - Engines: Continental C-90 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Howard B. Cauley - Registered owner: Howard B Cauley - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: 3GA8, Soperton, GA - Destination: 3GA8 - Airport: 3GA8, Cauley's Airstrip (private), runway 27, 1,800 × 150 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 43; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3; flight hours: 272 total, 1 in this make and model, 5 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050106002049A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050106002049A), Jan 6, 2005: Bbavia 7FC, Soperton, GA, Substantial damage. (-23) After the pilot [privacy data omitted] started takeoff roll and the tail wheel just breaking ground, the aircraft banked slightly to the right. In the… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.