Amateur-built AIRCAM accident near Ooltewah, Tennessee, July 4, 2020
On July 4, 2020 at about 11:45 pm local time, a 2015 amateur-built AIRCAM, registered N760JJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Ooltewah, Tennessee (Collegedale Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2020 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ooltewah, Tennessee · Collegedale Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AIRCAM No Series, built 2015
- Registration
- N760JJ · registry record · serial AC-176
- 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, he performed several water touch and go landings on different lakes and elected to perform one more before going back to the destination airport. During the landing, the airplane banked to the right, the right float touched the water, and the airplane veered "sharply" to the right. It struck the bank of the lake resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane came to rest on the bank and the pilot and passenger egressed without issue. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,075 hours in all; 503 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 6,075 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 17, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 346 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 24, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 346 hours total
- Engine 2: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 346 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FGU Collegedale TN at 10:00 pm
- Destination: FGU Collegedale TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from CHA, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 2, 2020. 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 | Investigative Photographs | 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.
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.