- Date
- September 16, 2000, 19:30 local (Sep 17, 2000, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Valentine, NE
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N2993GChampion 7GCBC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000916014729A
- Case key
- 50318
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
the delayed aborted takeoff. Factors relating to this accident were the pilot's inadequate planning/preparation for the flight, the high density altitude, and the ditch.
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 said that during his takeoff roll, he noticed he wasn't gaining any lift. '[I was] Coming to the end of the runway and I knew I wasn't going to get off, so I tried to shut airplane power down, but was too late.' The pilot said the airplane struck a road embankment, slid across the road, and impacted on the other side into a ditch. The pilot said 'the heat and density altitude were high.' An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
On September 16, 2000, at 1930 central daylight time, a Champion, 7GCBC, N2993G, operated by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted an embankment during an aborted takeoff from a meadow, 50 miles southwest of Valentine, Nebraska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The pilot reported minor injuries. The passenger on board the airplane reported no injuries. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
In his written statement, the pilot said that during his takeoff roll, he noticed he wasn't gaining any lift. "[I was] Coming to the end of the runway and I knew I wasn't going to get off, so I tried to shut airplane power down, but was too late." The pilot said the airplane struck a road embankment, slid across the road, and impacted on the other side into a ditch. The pilot said "the heat and density altitude were high."
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane at the Valentine Municipal Airport, Valentine, Nebraska. The airplane's nose, to include the propeller, cowling, engine, engine mounts and firewall, was crushed aft. The windscreen was broken out. The instrument panel was bent aft. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engine, engine controls and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2993G
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCBC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 54
- Airframe hours
- 3,780
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Abbott Cattle Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 13, 1999
- Airport
- Miller Field (Private), runway 18, 5,000 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 100 total · 55 in this make and model · 51 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VTN, 50 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.