ERA24LA311

Factual narrative

On July 21, 2024, about 1933 eastern daylight time, a Champion 7ECA airplane, N9581S, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Beaufort, North Carolina. The commercial pilot received minor injuries and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that at the time the airplane departed from Horse Feathers Airport (53VA), Midland, Virginia, destined for Michael J. Smith Field Airport (MRH), Beaufort, North Carolina, there was about 32 gallons of fuel onboard. About 2 ½ hours after departure, the pilot described that there was a momentary surge of engine power. The engine anomaly repeated several times before the engine lost power completely. The pilot was unable to restore engine power and performed a forced landing to a road. During the landing, the left wing struck a pole, and the airplane came to rest inverted about 3-miles northwest of MRH. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The wreckage was retained for further examination. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management
• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot