Amateur-built Talon XP accident near Cleveland, Georgia, July 2, 2008
On July 2, 2008 at about 12:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Talon XP, registered N1974L, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Cleveland, Georgia (Mountain Airpark airport). 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
An inadvertent stall during the initial climb.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2008 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Cleveland, Georgia · Mountain Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Talon XP
- Registration
- N1974L · registry record · serial 143
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff, the experimental light-sport airplane flew level, about 50 feet above the runway, until about 900 feet of runway remained. The airplane then pitched up "sharply," and climbed to about 150 feet before it entered a stall and pitched nose down. The airplane impacted the ground at a near 60-degree angle and "exploded." Examination of the wreckage revealed no obvious mechanical deficiencies with the airframe or engine. The pilot held the necessary pilot certificate required to operate the airplane, and had accumulated 225 total hours of flight experience, with 142 hours in the accident airplane make and model. Doxazosin, a prescription medication that lowers blood pressure and can reduce G-tolerance, was found on post-mortem toxicology testing. No definitive determination could be made as to any role of the medication in the accident.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Physical › Health/Fitness › Use of medication/drugs › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 225 hours in all; 142 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 194 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 104 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 10, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 955 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0GE5 Cleveland GA at 12:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,500 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from GVL, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.