- Date
- May 23, 1982, 12:10 local (17:10 UTC)
- Place
- Staples, MN
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N31765Aeronca 65-TF
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 23, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820523017979A
- Case key
- 72713
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 was making low passes over a river in search of a drowned man. He made a steep right turn and the aircraft stalled, dove into trees and impacted the ground nose first. The pilot stated the aircraft's door had been removed and that the aircraft had different stall characteristics with the door removed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31765
- Reported as
- Aeronca 65-TF
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- F6420T
- Airframe hours
- 1,449
- Engine
- Franklin 4AC-176B, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Charles Zimmerman
- Registered owner
- Charles Zimmerman
- Departed
- Staples, MN
- Destination
- Staples, 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 239 total · 200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 9° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 153 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.