Champion 7AC/BCM accident near Woodstock, Alabama, October 7, 2001
On October 7, 2001 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Champion 7AC/BCM, registered N82049, was destroyed in an accident near Woodstock, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering at a low altitude, resulting in an uncontrolled descent and inflight collision with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2001 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Woodstock, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Champion 7AC/BCM · all 7AC/BCMs on the register
- Registration
- N82049 · no longer on the register · serial 7AC-675
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Champion 7AC/BCM aircraft was observed by numerous eyewitnesses, including some of the pilot's family members, to pass closely overhead their respective residences, and then commence a series of tight 360-degree turns at about 60 to 70 feet agl, over his mother's back yard. Following a "pop" which most witnesses characterized as an engine backfire, the aircraft was observed to dive into the ground. Examination of the wreckage site revealed severe postcrash fire damage to the cockpit and aft engine area. Although most engine accessories were partially consumed by fire, the engine manufacturer's investigator could find no cause to preclude normal engine operation, precrash. Examination of the airframe revealed no condition that would have caused a loss of control, precrash. The carburetor was examined by an FAA Repair Station and the carburetor idle metering tube diameter was found to be smaller than what the Stromberg carburetor specifications called for.
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: 220 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,832 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 20, 2001; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-8F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EKY Bessemer AL at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from EET, 18 miles away
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.