Amateur-built 4-1200 accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina, May 26, 2007
On May 26, 2007 at about 11:45 pm local time, a amateur-built 4-1200, registered N613KF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spartanburg, South Carolina (Spartanburg Downtown Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot lost directional control of the airplane during takeoff. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the accident airplane make/model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2007 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Spartanburg, South Carolina · Spartanburg Downtown Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 4-1200
- Registration
- N613KF · no longer on the register · serial 1764
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during takeoff, approximately 500 feet down the runway surface, the tailwheel-equipped airplane veered right. Although the pilot attempted to stop the airplane, it continued 250 feet until impacting a fence. The pilot stated that the majority of his time was in tricycle gear airplanes and he had about 3 hours in the accident airplane. He said that there were no mechanical malfunctions with 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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 340 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EA-81 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPA Spa Downtown Me SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,202 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Observation at 11:53 pm from GSP, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.