Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to obtain/maintain adequate airspeed during the takeoff/initial climb which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent collision with terrain.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On November 13, 1999, at 0745 eastern standard time, a Champion 7ECA, N2570F, collided with the ground shortly after liftoff from runway 21 at the Ridgeland Airport in Ridgeland, South Carolina. The personal flight was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot received minor injuries. The flight departed Ridgeland, South Carolina, at 0744 with a planned destination of St. Mary, Georgia.
The pilot reported that he refueled the airplane and completed a normal preflight inspection of the airplane before the takeoff. The pilot further stated that after liftoff the airplane turned left about 45 degrees. According to the pilot, the airplane stalled and collided with the ground.
No mechanical problems with the airplane were reported by the pilot. The pilot also stated that he should have aborted the takeoff.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ATL00LA014