- Date
- October 14, 2020, 13:03 local (18:03 UTC)
- Place
- Sewanee, TN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N750JDMuse Stol CH 750
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20201014015479A
- Case key
- 102168
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 airplane’s encounter with a downdraft during the initial climb, which resulted in an impact with trees.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was taking off from a 3,700-ft-long runway and described that during the initial climb at an altitude of around 40 feet, the airplane encountered a downdraft from wind gusting over trees next to the runway. He further reported that the engine was developing full power, but the airplane was unable to climb out of the downdraft. The airplane impacted trees at the departure end of the runway, and the fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N750JD
- Reported as
- Muse Stol CH 750
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 75-8735
- Built
- 2016
- Airframe hours
- 50
- Engine
- General Motors 167.C.I., 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 8, 2020 · 45.6 hours before
- Destination
- 2A0 · Dayton, TN
- Airport
- UOS · Franklin County Airport, runway 6, 3,700 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS
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
- 73
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 159.3 total · 97.8 in this make and model · 7.4 in the last 90 days · 7.4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 6 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KBGF, 9 nm away
- METAR
- KBGF 141755Z AUTO 17006G12KT 10SM CLR 24/08 A3005 RMK A01
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 24, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.