- Date
- October 17, 1991, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Whitesburg, GA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N11077Champion 7ECA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911017048169A
- Case key
- 8536
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A sudden wind shift during initial climb which resulted in an uncontrolled descent.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported encountering a wind shift about 50 feet above the ground during climbout which resulted in an uncontrolled collision with trees. Witnesses at the airport observed a swirling wind condition at the approximate time of the accident. Examination of the wreckage failed to disclose a mechanical failure or system malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11077
- Reported as
- Champion 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 91
- Airframe hours
- 1,600
- Engine
- Lycoming O-200-C1, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rosenthal, E.J/ Smisson, C
- Registered owner
- Rosenthal, E.J/ Smisson, C
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 7, 1901 · 26 hours before
- Destination
- FTY · Atlanta, GA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 60 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.