Champion 7FC accident near Soperton, Georgia, January 6, 2005
On January 6, 2005 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Champion 7FC, registered N8566E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Soperton, Georgia (Cauley'S Airstrip (Private) airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2005 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Soperton, Georgia · Cauley'S Airstrip (Private) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7FC · all 7FCs on the register
- Registration
- N8566E · registry record · serial 7FC-354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 272 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3GA8 Soperton GA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 3GA8
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.