Summary
On October 01, 2001, a Aeronca 7AC (N1746E) was involved in an incident near Erhard, MN. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft was destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot not maintaining adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the turn. Factors relating to this accident were the low airspeed, the inadvertent stall, and the low altitude.
On October 1, 2001, at 1800 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N1746E, piloted by a private pilot was destroyed when it impacted terrain 6 miles east of Erhard, Minnesota. A post crash fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board reported no injuries. The local flight originated near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, at 1730.
In his written statement, the pilot said he was in a left turning descent from approximately 1,000 feet agl to approximately 700 feet agl when the airplane's left wing dropped. The pilot said, "I applied right stick, and simultaneously the airplane entered a spin.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CHI02LA024. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N1746E.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot not maintaining adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the turn. Factors relating to this accident were the low airspeed, the inadvertent stall, and the low altitude.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On October 1, 2001, at 1800 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N1746E, piloted by a private pilot was destroyed when it impacted terrain 6 miles east of Erhard, Minnesota. A post crash fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board reported no injuries. The local flight originated near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, at 1730.
In his written statement, the pilot said he was in a left turning descent from approximately 1,000 feet agl to approximately 700 feet agl when the airplane's left wing dropped. The pilot said, "I applied right stick, and simultaneously the airplane entered a spin. I pushed the stick immediately forward and applied right rudder - waiting for the aircraft to recover. The aircraft recovered approximately 35 feet from the ground, below a tree line that was quickly approaching. There was an area of open (unobstructed) ground to my left and I elected to land there. During the landing one of the landing gear collapsed and I slid to a stop short of the trees." The pilot said a fire occurred in the engine nacelle area. "My extinguisher was not adequate to extinguish the fire and eventually the entire fabric A/C (aircraft) was consumed."
Also in his written statement, the pilot provided the following safety recommendation: "Maintain adequate airspeed at all times when airborne."
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI02LA024