Champion 7AC/BCM accident near Woodstock, AL
On October 7, 2001, a Champion 7AC/BCM (airplane) was involved in an accident near Woodstock, AL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 7, 2001
- Place
- Woodstock, AL
- Aircraft
- Champion 7AC/BCM · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.178°N, 87.191°W
- NTSB ID
- 20011015X02087
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 7, 2001, about 1700 central daylight time, a Champion 7AC/BCM, N82049, registered to and operated by Champion Flyers Flying Club, Inc., as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed while maneuvering in the vicinity of Woodstock, Alabama. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed by postcrash fire, and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The flight departed Bessemer, Alabama, about 15 minutes before the accident. According to numerous eyewitnesses, including family members of the pilot, who had directed their attention skyward following a low pass over their respective rural residences, they saw the aircraft execute two or three right hand 360-degree tight turns at about 60 to 80 feet agl, over the pilot's mother's backyard. Following a noise characterized as a "pop" as in an engine backfire, the aircraft nosed over and impacted the backyard in a steep vertical attitude. Numerous witnesses had careers in or had long backgrounds in the maintenance and operation of the internal combustion engine, and were reasonably certain of the backfire report. They stated that the aircraft was not in a spin, and that the final maneuver was more like a "nose dive" into the terrain. Two of the witnesses and one of the pilot/club members who occasionally flew with the accident pilot stated that the pilot never made more than one 360-degree turn over the family homes. On this particular occasion, witnesses were equally divided on observing two or three 360-degree tight
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering at a low altitude, resulting in an uncontrolled descent and inflight collision with the terrain.
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Browse: Alabama · Champion aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
