# Accident 20170715005679A: Aeronca 15AC, Big Lake, AK, July 15, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 15, 2017, 09:25 local time
- Place: Big Lake, AK
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 61.6064° N, 150.5067° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.6064&lon=-150.5067&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1370H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1370H-2018-09-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aeronca 15AC (registry code 0191202, https://openairdocs.org/model/aeronca-15ac) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AERONCA 15AC
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC17FA035](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC17FA035) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170715005679A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON JULY 15, 2017, ABOUT 0925 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A FLOAT-EQUIPPED AERONCA 15AC AIRPLANE, (N1370H) SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FOLLOWING A COLLISION WITH A TREE, A SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF CONTROL AND IMPACT WITH TERRAIN, ABOUT 20 MILES WEST OF BIG LAKE, ALASKA. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, AS A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FLIGHT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT WAS FATALLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED A REMOTE LAKE NEAR BIG LAKE, ALASKA ABOUT 0905 DESTINED FOR SAND LAKE, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ANC17FA035](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC17FA035), Jul 15, 2017: Aeronca 15AC (N1370H), Big Lake, AK, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees during low-altitude flight, which resulted in an in-flight collision and impact with terrain.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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