Champion 7ECA accident near Oliver Springs, Tennessee, March 20, 2007
On March 20, 2007 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Champion 7ECA, registered N9596S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oliver Springs, Tennessee (Oliver Springs INC airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance, resulting in an in-flight collision with an airport sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2007 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Oliver Springs, Tennessee · Oliver Springs INC
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7ECA · all 7ECAs on the register
- Registration
- N9596S · no longer on the register · serial 7ECA-277
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot he was practicing full stop landings. On his fifth landing he flew a left hand pattern for the runway. He performed a slip on final approach and realized that the airplane was too low and also short of the runway. He added power, and believed he would be able to make the landing on the runway. During the landing flare the right main gear collided with a runway marker sign. As the airplane settled onto the runway, it veered off to the right side and collided with a ditch. The pilot did not report any flight control or mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. Examination by an FAA inspector revealed that the right main landing gear was separated from the fuselage. Further examination revealed that the airplane's firewall and fuselage were buckled.
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: 165 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,541.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TN08 Oliver Springs TN at 8:35 pm
- Destination: TN08 Oliver Springs TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 2,800 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KTYS
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.