Champion 7ECA N9556S

Summary

On 6 November 1997 at about 23:45 local time, a Champion 7ECA registered N9556S, operated by William B. Chapman, was involved in an accident near Hamilton, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 November 1997 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Hamilton, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

32.7497, -84.8704

Aircraft

Champion 7ECA

Registration

N9556S

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

William B. Chapman

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Thomson → Pensacola

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Not Reported

NTSB number

ATL98FA007

1 person died.

VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude or clearance from mountainous terrain. Related factors were: darkness, adverse weather conditions, and the pilot's self induced pressure to attend his brother's graduation the following day.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

When the pilot failed to arrive for his brother's college graduation, concerned family members reported that he and his airplane were missing. A search was initiated, and the Civil Air Patrol located the airplane on top of Pine Mountain. According to the pilot's personal flight log, his intended destination was Pensacola, FL, with intermediate stops for fuel at Thomson, GA, and Greenville, AL. Airport personal at Thomson confirmed that the airplane landed about 1630 on 11/6/97. They reported that the pilot purchased 26.5 gallons of 100LL fuel and departed about 1700. Witnesses at the Thomson Airport stated that when he took off, the weather was marginal VFR and deteriorating rapidly. Witnesses near Pine Mountain stated that the visibility at the time of the accident was about 1/4 mile in haze/fog. About 15 miles south of the accident site at Columbus, GA, the weather was, in part: 400 feet broken, 1200 feet overcast, visibility 4 miles with haze. Elevation at Columbus was 394 feet; elevation of the accident site was 1190 feet with 100 to 150 foot trees covering the mountain. The airplane impacted trees about 50 feet above the ground. Estimated time of the accident was 1845 (at about the time darkness was falling).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.