Vashon Aircraft RANGER R7 accident near Hampton, Georgia, March 4, 2021
On March 4, 2021 at about 4:10 pm local time, a 2019 Vashon Aircraft RANGER R7, registered N150VR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Hampton, Georgia (Atlanta Speedway airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s improper flare while landing with a gusting crosswind which resulted in a hard landing and separation of the left landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 2021 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Hampton, Georgia · Atlanta Speedway · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Vashon Aircraft RANGER R7, built 2019 · all RANGER R7s on the register
- Registration
- N150VR · registry record · serial 10142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was landing at the conclusion of his first solo cross-country flight with a 6 knot crosswind gusting to 14 knots. He aborted two attempts to land and was on his third landing attempt when he “flared too early and had a hard landing,” which resulted in the separation of the airplane’s left main landing gear. The student pilot subsequently landed on the two remaining landing gear, and the airplane departed the runway’s left side and came to rest upright with substantial damage to the fuselage, wing, and horizontal stabilizer. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 60 hours in all; 13 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 162.5 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 1, 2020
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200 (piston); 162 hours total
- Operator: Happy Goat Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: ACJ Americus GA at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06/2, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 am from KHMP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA21LA158.