20250601006809A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Aeronca 7BCM · Port Townsend, WA · June 1, 2025

Date
June 1, 2025 · 11:30 local
Place
Port Townsend, WA
Airport
Jefferson County International
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N85311
Reported as
Aeronca 7BCM
Reported engine
Continental C85-12
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
12,000 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

CFI providing tailwheel instruciton to another pilot. Upon landing a strong headwind changed to a strong tailwind, immediately causing the aircraft to ground loop. The aircraft impacted a runway marker light, shearing off the left main gear, and damaging the left wing strut.

As the FAA filed it

CFI PROVIDING TAILWHEEL INSTRUCITON TO ANOTHER PILOT. UPON LANDING A STRONG HEADWIND CHANGED TO A STRONG TAILWIND, IMMEDIATELY CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO GROUND LOOP. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A RUNWAY MARKER LIGHT, SHEARING OFF THE LEFT MAIN GEAR, AND DAMAGING THE LEFT WING STRUT.