Accident Champion 7AC N1115E, Thursday 26 November 1992

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Date:	Thursday 26 November 1992
Time:	14:15 LT
Type:	Champion 7AC
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	N1115E
MSN:	7AC-4670
Year of manufacture:	1946
Engine model:	Continental A65-8F
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Troy, TN - United States of America
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport:	Union City, TN (NONE)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS TAKING OFF FROM AN UNPREPARED, GRASS FARM FIELD. TAILWIND CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE DIRECTION OF TAKEOFF. ON THE INITIAL CLIMB, HE REALIZED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT CLEAR A ROW OF TREES AT THE SOUTH END OF THE FIELD. HE INITIATED A LEFT TURN TO AVOID THE TREES, AND THE AIRCRAFT STALLED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. AN INSPECTION OF THE TAKEOFF SURFACE REVEALED AREAS OF ROUGH, UNEVEN TERRAIN.

Probable Cause: THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING, HIS FAILURE TO ATTAIN A PROPER CLIMB RATE, AND THE INADVERTENT STALLING OF THE AIRCRAFT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO AVOID HIGH OBSTRUCTIONS (TREES). FACTORS WERE THE ROUGH, UNEVEN RUNWAY CONDITIONS, THE HIGH OBSTRUCTIONS, AND THE TAIL WIND CONDITIONS AT THE FIELD.

Accident investigation: