- Date
- July 2, 1989, 19:00 local (Jul 3, 1989, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Atkinson, WI
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1271HAeronca 15AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890702018799A
- Case key
- 14208
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
Water contamination of the fuel and the pilot's inadequate preflight. Factors related to the accident were: lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing & trees.
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
During flight, the engine lost power. Subsequently, the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in trees. An investigation revealed water in the fuel tank and carburetor. After draining the carburetor and fuel tank and adding fuel, the engine was successfully run for 1 minute.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1271H
- Reported as
- Aeronca 15AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 284
- Airframe hours
- 3,430
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert M. Jones
- Registered owner
- Robert M Jones
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 27, 1988 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- 52C · Cottage Grove, WI
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 280 total · 276 in this make and model · 242 as pilot in command · 53 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JVL, 20 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.
Other investigations on N1271H · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.