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Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative: On May 7, 2019, about 1945 central daylight time, a Champion 7GCAA airplane, N7665S, impacted terrain during a takeoff from a private airstrip near Schlater, Mississippi. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the area about the time of the accident, and the flight was not operated on a flight plan. The flight was originating from the private airstrip at the time of the accident.
The pilot was departing from a private airstrip with a light tailwind present. A witness at the airstrip saw the airplane lift off the ground, northbound, about 1,500 ft down the runway; the airplane flew another 500 ft before it pitched up. The airplane was about 100 ft above the ground and not climbing when it banked left and then turned right. The airplane nose pitched down and the airplane entered a dive and subsequently impacted terrain.
The airplane came to rest on its nose and its engine was embedded in terrain. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded control of the airplane.
Given the available information, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain the proper airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and the airplane experiencing an aerodynamic stall at too low of an altitude to recover. Investigators were not able to determine why the airplane was on the ground for 1,500 ft before it rotated and took off.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain the proper airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a stall.