Amateur-built Pietenpol Air Camper accident near Bainbridge, Georgia, June 13, 2002
On June 13, 2002 at about 11:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Pietenpol Air Camper, registered N7224X, was destroyed in an accident near Bainbridge, Georgia (Climax Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of power due to the passenger's inadvertent deactivation and restricting the movement of the throttle, which resulted in a forced landing and subsequent impact with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 2002 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bainbridge, Georgia · Climax Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Pietenpol Air Camper
- Registration
- N7224X · registry record · serial 003
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff and climb, at an altitude of about 300 feet, the pilot noticed the passenger in the front seat turn around in his seat to look backwards, and almost simultaneously the throttle came to idle and would not respond. The pilot said that it appeared that the front seat passenger had "...apparently used the connecting throttle linkage for a hand hold and broke or disconnected it" from the seat in the rear cockpit. With no power and almost at stall speed the pilot leveled off and crashed straight ahead into a wooded area. During the examination of the wreckage, it could not be ascertained whether the throttle was jammed or disconnected, due to impact damage, and the demolished condition of the airplane.
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
- Flight time: 1,106 hours in all; 239 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 239.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 16, 2001; 25.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: General Motors L4, 2.0 liter (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Bainbridge GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 090, 1,800 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KABY, 41 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 MIA02LA110.