- Date
- April 19, 2025, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Estherwood, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N83871Champion Aeronca 7AC
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration, Baton Rouge FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250419005319A
- Case key
- 200040
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The non-certificated pilot’s failure to maintain altitude while maneuvering at low altitude that resulted in a descent and impact into terrain.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The non-certificated pilot stated that he departed from a local airport to drop candy for family members on his private airstrip. As he approached the airstrip, he descended to 200 ft agl and then descended further to drop the candy. The pilot said he got distracted as he looked over his left shoulder during the attempted candy drop, and the airplane impacted the terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing spar. The pilot stated there was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the airplane that would have precluded normal airplane operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N83871
- Reported as
- Champion Aeronca 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC-2552
- Built
- 1946
- Engine
- Continental A&C65 SERIES, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- S&S Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- PVT · Private
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- 3R7, 2 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 21, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.