# Accident 20220919017109A: Champion AERONCA 7AC, Bridgeton, NJ, September 19, 2022

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 19, 2022, 13:48 local time
- Place: Bridgeton, NJ
- Airport: Bucks
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.4708° N, 75.1826° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.4708&lon=-75.1826&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2716E, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2716E) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Champion AERONCA 7AC (registry code 2110140, https://openairdocs.org/model/champion-aeronca-7ac) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental A&C65 series (registry code 17003, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CHAMPION AERONCA 7AC
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 3,700 total, 50 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA22FA426](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22FA426) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220919017109A

## Narrative

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

ON 09/19/2022 AT 1:45 EST, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WITH ONE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD, DEPARTED BUCKS AIRPORT (00N) TO RED LION AIRPORT (JY73). THE AERONCA 7AC DEPARTED RNWY 18 AND USED APPROXIMATELY 1600 FEET OF THE 1900 FOOT GRASS RUNWAY BEFORE INITIATING A STEEP CLIMB, CLEARING A POWER LINE APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET FROM ITS ROTATION POINT.

ONE AIRPORT VIDEO SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT USING MOST OF THE RUNWAY BEFORE PROMPTLY TRANSITIONING INTO A CLIMB ATTITUDE.  ANOTHER AIRPORT VIDEO PARTIALLY CAPTURED THE AIRCRAFT IN A STEEPENING BANK. TWO WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AT WHICH TIME IT BEGAN A DESCENDING NOSE-DOWN LEFT TURN IMPACTING THE GROUND 1400 FEET EAST OF THE RUNWAY.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.

PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED AN ADDITIONAL 1.9 GALLONS OF FUEL; HOWEVER, UNABLE TO DETERMINE TOTAL FUEL LOAD AND TAKEOFF WEIGHT. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS CALCULATED AT 1,790 FEET. CARBURETOR ICE POTENTIAL WAS COMPUTED AS SERIOUS ICING AT GLIDE POWER.

FLIGHT CONTROLS AND STATIC ENGINE INSPECTION WERE CONDUCTED POST-ACCIDENT, NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND.

## 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 ERA22FA426](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22FA426), Sep 19, 2022: Champion Aeronca 7AC (N2716E), Bridgeton, NJ, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack shortly after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, 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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