CEN25FA151

On April 10, 2025, at 0904 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC airplane, N83952, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cape Fair, Missouri. The pilot received serious injuries, and the passenger was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. GPS data downloaded from a Stratus receiver recovered from the airplane wreckage showed that the flight originated from the pilot’s private airstrip at 0842. The airplane departed the grass airstrip and flew around the area in a non-descript path as would be expected during a pleasure flight. The data showed that the airplane approached the area where the accident occurred from the south. It then made a right turn toward the southeast, immediately followed by a left turn to the southwest. During the final portion of the left turn, the airplane started descending, leveled off, and flew down a valley in the terrain. A set of high-voltage powerlines crossed the valley perpendicular to the airplane’s flight path. It was reported that the utility company spliced two damaged wires after the accident, but the wires had not fallen to the ground. Figure 1. Entire flight path of airplane. Figure 2. The final portion of the accident flight. A witness to the accident was a friend of the pilot and passenger and was working to construct a pond on his property. He reported that he was in an excavator when he saw the airplane fly over. He stated that the airplane then flew off and he thought it had departed the area. A few minutes later he heard it again, and from his peripheral vision, he saw the airplane crash. The airplane came to rest on the witness’s property underneath the powerlines that were struck by the airplane. Examination of the airplane at the accident site confirmed continuity of the flight control system from the cockpit controls to each respective control surface. Examination of the engine confirmed crankshaft rotation without difficulty. Cylinder compression, suction, and valve train continuity were verified during rotation. Spark could not be obtained at the spark plugs due to impact damage to the spark plug leads; however, spark was observed for all cylinders on both magnetos when the leads were trimmed at the distributor caps. The carburetor was removed, and fuel was present in the fuel bowl. No sediment was observed in the bowl. No preimpact anomalies were detected during the examination of the engine or the airframe.