2008 Talon XP Accident at Mountain Airpark (N1974L)

Accident Overview and Initial Sequence of Events On July 2, 2008, at approximately 0845 eastern daylight time, an amateur-built Talon XP, registration N1974L, was destroyed when it struck trees and terrain during takeoff from Mountain Airpark (0GE5) in Cleveland, Georgia. The flight was a personal operation conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions were present, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The sole occupant, a certificated private pilot, was fatally injured. A witness reported that the pilot departed runway 35 and flew level at an altitude of about 50 feet above the runway until approximately 900 feet of runway remained. The aircraft then pitched up sharply and climbed to an estimated 150 feet before entering a stall and pitching nose down. The aircraft impacted the ground at a near 60-degree angle and exploded.