Champion 7BCM accident near Kingston, Tennessee, May 15, 2010
On May 15, 2010 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Champion 7BCM, registered N1415E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Kingston, Tennessee (Riley Creek Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2010 · about 3:15 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Kingston, Tennessee · Riley Creek Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7BCM · all 7BCMs on the register
- Registration
- N1415E · registry record · serial 7AC-4978
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he had not landed at the destination airport “in several years.” Although the airport had a paved runway, the pilot preferred to land on grass rather than pavement. Since he had landed on the grassy area adjacent to the left side of the runway during his previous visit, he decided to land on it once again. From the air, “it looked good," so he proceeded to land. During the landing, he realized that the grass was not mowed and was "over waist deep." Upon touch down, the main landing gear caught the grass, the airplane nosed over, and the pilot sustained a fractured vertebrae. For grass operations, the airport had been using the mowed area to the right side of the runway.
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
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Effect on equipment
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,061 hours in all; 182 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 881 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 16, 2008
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,878 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TN98 Knoxville TN at 2:50 pm
- Destination: 12TN Kingston TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23L, 2,606 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 20, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record: Phone Interview with Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Reports and Records (Koqt Metars) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1415E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Champion 7 Citabria and Champ 1,452 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Champion 1,604 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-85-8F 18 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Meadowlake Airport · nearest airport
- Sky Ranch Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Tennessee 1,198 since 1982 · 231 in the last ten years
- Tennessee 6,535 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA10CA271.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.