- Date
- October 1, 2001, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Erhard, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1746EAeronca 7AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 2, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20011001030879A
- Case key
- 53776
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 pilot not maintaining adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the turn. Factors relating to this accident were the low airspeed, the inadvertent stall, and the low altitude.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot said he was in a left turning descent from approximately 1,000 feet agl to approximately 700 feet agl when the airplane's left wing dropped. The pilot said, "I applied right stick, and simultaneously the airplane entered a spin. I pushed the stick immediately forward and applied right rudder - waiting for the aircraft to recover. The aircraft recovered approximately 35 feet from the ground, below a tree line that was quickly approaching. There was an area of open (unobstructed) ground to my left and I elected to land there. During the landing one of the landing gear collapsed and I slid to a stop short of the trees." The pilot said a fire occurred in the engine nacelle area. "My extinguisher was not adequate to extinguish the fire and eventually the entire fabric A/C (aircraft) was consumed." The pilot provided the following safety recommendation: "Maintain adequate airspeed at all times when airborne."
Factual narrative
On October 1, 2001, at 1800 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N1746E, piloted by a private pilot was destroyed when it impacted terrain 6 miles east of Erhard, Minnesota. A post crash fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board reported no injuries. The local flight originated near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, at 1730.
In his written statement, the pilot said he was in a left turning descent from approximately 1,000 feet agl to approximately 700 feet agl when the airplane's left wing dropped. The pilot said, "I applied right stick, and simultaneously the airplane entered a spin. I pushed the stick immediately forward and applied right rudder - waiting for the aircraft to recover. The aircraft recovered approximately 35 feet from the ground, below a tree line that was quickly approaching. There was an area of open (unobstructed) ground to my left and I elected to land there. During the landing one of the landing gear collapsed and I slid to a stop short of the trees." The pilot said a fire occurred in the engine nacelle area. "My extinguisher was not adequate to extinguish the fire and eventually the entire fabric A/C (aircraft) was consumed."
Also in his written statement, the pilot provided the following safety recommendation: "Maintain adequate airspeed at all times when airborne."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1746E
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC-5313
- Airframe hours
- 2,765
- Engine
- Continental C-90-12F, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Patrick L. Martin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 27, 2001 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- 47Y · Pelican Rapids, MN
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- May 9, 2000
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 354 total · 296 in this make and model · 319 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- PKD, 49 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.