CEN20FA008

The private pilot was on short final approach for landing to the grass runway. The south end of the runway was bordered by an east-west oriented road; witnesses on this road and dashboard camera video from another vehicle confirmed that the airplane was flying about 5 ft above the ground when it collided with the front left side of a westbound truck. The airplane became lodged on top of the truck and they continued off the right side of the road, through a ditch, and came to rest in a residential front yard. The pilot and driver were both fatally injured during the accident sequence. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. There were several propeller slash marks on the front left side of the truck, consistent with the propeller rotating during the collision. There was no evidence of tire skid marks on the road and none of the witnesses reported any evasive maneuvers by the airplane; therefore, it is likely that neither the pilot nor the driver was aware of the impending collision. Additionally, there was no roadway signage warning of low-flying aircraft.

An annual inspection was completed on the airplane earlier on the day of the accident, with no anomalies noted. On October 17, 2019, about 1650 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC Champion airplane, N82308, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Green Bay, Wisconsin. The private pilot and the driver of a vehicle sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed WI78 earlier in the morning and arrived at Brennand Airport (79C), Neenah, Wisconsin, to meet with a mechanic to complete the airplane’s annual inspection. The pilot and mechanic ate lunch together and then the pilot departed 79C for WI78. During their conversation, the pilot mentioned to the mechanic that he was concerned about the wet turf runway at WI78 and that he preferred to land near the end of the runway. According to witnesses in vehicles near the accident location and a vehicle dashboard camera, the airplane was flying north less than 5 ft over the county highway adjacent to the end of runway 1. The airplane impacted the front left side of a westbound truck. The airplane remained on top of the truck after the collision and they both continued off the right side of the road into a ditch, then came to rest in a front yard. Figure 1 shows the main wreckage on the left in front of the house, the grass runway on the far right, and the road in the foreground. Figure 1. Accident site Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected gabapentin in the blood and urine. All brands of gabapentin are used in adults to treat nerve pain caused by the herpes virus or shingles. The pilot’s most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate had expired for all classes on October 31, 2012. The pilot completed the requirements for operation under BasicMed on March 20, 2018. The main wreckage, which comprised the fuselage, wings, and empennage, came to rest on top of the truck, and they both came to rest upright in a front yard. The engine, propeller, engine mount, and cowling were separated from the airplane during the impact sequence and were located in a nearby ditch. The engine assembly came to rest adjacent to a powerline pole. Miscellaneous airplane and truck debris were located on the road and in the ditch on the north side of the road. The airplane’s left and right main landing gear were located in a ditch on the south side of the road. Portions of the airplane windscreen were fragmented and located in the ditch and on the grass runway. The forward fuselage structure was destroyed. The front seat structure remained partially attached to the fuselage, and the front lap belt left attach point was separated from the floor attachment. The lap belt remained latched. No shoulder harnesses were installed. The left and right wings displayed leading edge damage and were bent downward at the fuselage attach points. The empennage and tailsurfaces remained relatively undamaged. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit controls to all flight control surfaces. The truck’s left front windshield post and upper door post were crushed to the right consistent with impact from the airplane’s main landing gear and lower forward fuselage. Several linear and sequential gashes were observed on the front left side of the truck, consistent with propeller slash marks. The driver’s door was removed by rescue personnel. The roadway surface did not show any evidence of tire skid marks from the truck. A review of the runway surface revealed airplane landing gear tracks from the pilot’s hangar to the departure end of runway 1, consistent with the pilot’s departure earlier that day. The south end of the runway turf condition was soft and wet. The north end of the runway turf condition was dry. A review of the area of the accident site determined that there were no road signs warning drivers of low-flying airplanes over the road.