- Date
- November 13, 2021, 11:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3063EAeronca 7AC
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20211113019469A
- Case key
- 104261
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’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a gusting crosswind.
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 pilot reported that, during the landing flare, a “strong down draft,” which was wind turbulence from a tree line, resulted in a “hard” landing. Then, during the landing roll, another gust of wind lifted the right wing, the left wing struck the ground, and the airplane began to ground loop. The pilot attempted to correct with aileron, rudder, and brake; however, the airplane impacted trees and shrubs about 25 ft from the runway. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 21, with wind from 300° at 5 knots gusting to 14 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3063E
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC-6652
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 4,517
- Engine
- Continental A-65-6F, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2021
- Departed
- 01SC · York, SC
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 6NC1 · Little Mountain, runway 03/21, 3,000 × 40 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 70
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 2, 2019
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 29,530 total · 450 in this make and model · 25,342 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 5.4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 5 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- SVH, 12 nm away
- METAR
- KSVH 131655Z AUTO 30005G14KT 10SM CLR 15/01 A2992 RMK AO2 T01470013
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 30, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 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.