# NTSB ERA22LA329: Aeronca 7AC, N84423, Plant City, FL, July 21, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: July 21, 2022, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC) - Place: Plant City, FL - Coordinates: 27.95, -82.1 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.9500&lon=-82.1000&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 105547 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA22LA329 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/105547/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105547 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22LA329 ## Probable cause A total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Planning/preparation: fuel planning](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Aeronca 7AC, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md?model=2110102), [All aircraft, 719 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02061030/cases.md) - [Fluids: fuel](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010): Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware · Fluid level (probable cause); cases with it: [Aeronca 7AC, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md?model=2110102), [All aircraft, 1,695 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01071010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute-cruise: Fuel exhaustion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192) (defining event); cases with it: [Aeronca 7AC, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md?model=2110102), [All aircraft, 804 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/192/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Off-field or emergency landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440); cases with it: [Aeronca 7AC, 9 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md?model=2110102), [All aircraft, 3,365 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/440/sequence.md) - [Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Aeronca 7AC, 44 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2110102), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis About 5 to 10 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane collided with a fence and drainage pipe, resulting in substantial damage. Examination of the engine and ignition system did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Examination of the fuel system revealed that the carburetor was absent of fuel and only a trace amount of fuel remained in the gascolator. A subsequent borescope examination of the fuel tank revealed that it was intact and that a small, immeasurable amount of fuel was in one corner of the tank, but the tank was otherwise empty. Based on the lack of mechanical anomalies and the absence of fuel in the intact fuel tank, it is likely that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel exhaustion. ## Factual narrative On July 21, 2022, about 1200 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N84423, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Plant City, Florida. The pilot and a passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that he was repositioning the airplane back to his home airport following the completion of its annual inspection. About 5 to 10 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field; however, the airplane impacted a bump and bounced twice. The airplane continued through a fence and impacted a pipe in a drainage pond; the right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest upright at the edge of the pond. Initial examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to the forward fuselage and right wing strut. The wreckage was subsequently examined by a mechanic and an FAA inspector following its recovery to a storage facility. When the propeller was rotated by hand, camshaft, crankshaft, and valvetrain continuity were confirmed to the rear accessory section and thumb compression was attained on all cylinders. Both magnetos produced spark at all leads when rotated by hand. The carburetor was absent of fuel and about 75 ml of fuel remained in the gascolator. The FAA inspector initially did not observe any fuel in the fuel tank. He then examined the tank via borescope, verified that it was not breached, and observed a small, immeasurable amount of fuel in one corner of the tank, but the tank was otherwise empty. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N84423](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N84423), registered now, S/N 7AC-3121, built 1946 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AERONCA 7AC - Registry model: [Aeronca 7AC](https://openairdocs.org/model/aeronca-7ac) (registry code 2110102) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental A&C65 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (registry code 17003, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 7AC-3121 - Year built: 1946 - Airframe hours: 2301 - Engines: Continental A-65-8F 65 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 19, 2022, 0 hours before - Departed: X49, Lakeland, FL - Destination: ZPH, Zephyrhills, FL - Equipment: Electronic flight bag or handheld device ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 66; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land; medical: sport pilot; last flight review September 25, 2021; seat: front; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 227 total, 54 in this make and model, 180 as pilot in command, 2 in the last 90 days, 0.3 in the last 30 days, 0.3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 3,200 ft broken - Temperature: 91 °F, dew point 75 °F - Altimeter: 30.11 inHg - Observed at: PCM, 5 nm away - METAR: KPCM 211555Z AUTO 27003KT 10SM BKN032 OVC040 33/24 A3011 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20220721012889A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220721012889A), Jul 21, 2022: Aeronca 7AC, Plant City, FL, Substantial damage. On July 21, 2022 at 1500Z, an Aeronca 7AC, [privacy data omitted] had a sudden engine failure that caused the pilot to make an emergency landing in a field.… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 14, 2023, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105547. 2.9 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 1.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14325471&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Interview summary (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 112 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14325818&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Interview%20Summary-Rel.pdf - Excerpts from maintenance records (item 3, PDF, 6 pages, 787 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14325156&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Mx%20Excerpts_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Photo array (item 4, PDF, 6 pages, 748 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14330470&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.