John Bradley VANS RV-7 N519JS

Summary

On 15 May 2026 at about 12:46 local time, a John Bradley VANS RV-7 registered N519JS was involved in an accident near Athens, Georgia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 May 2026 at 12:46

Classification

Accident

Location

Athens, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Athens/Ben Epps (AHN)

Coordinates

33.9489, -83.3371

Aircraft

John Bradley VANS RV-7

Registration

N519JS

Category

Airplane

Year built

2026

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA210

Nobody was injured.

Contamination of the left wheel brake system with debris, which resulted in a loss of directional control during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/builder had recently completed constructing the experimental amateur-built airplane and had successfully flown for about 15 hours over three days. On the day of the accident, he had completed seven takeoffs and landings and was preparing for another takeoff in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. According to the pilot, he aligned the airplane with the runway heading to take off. As he slowly applied engine power, the airplane began to turn “hard” to the left. The pilot attempted to add right rudder input to correct the left turn, but the airplane continued to the left, exited the runway, and ground looped in the grass. The pilot estimated that the airplane traveled a total of 235 ft down the runway from where power was applied to where the airplane came to rest. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron and empennage during the runway excursion. The pilot examined the airplane after the accident and found that the left wheel was “hot” difficult to rotate. He disassembled the left wheel and brake system and observed that there were significant grooves in the brake pads and debris lodged within the brake rotor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.