- Date
- May 4, 1989, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Paradise, TX
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3226EAeronca 11AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890504010859A
- Case key
- 22770
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
Loss of engine power for an undetermined reason, and failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed during the forced landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
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
Witnesses said the plt made 2 low passes over the airstrip after tkof, then turned west & bgn a climb. After glancing atthe acft, a witness heard the eng 'get quiet as if shut down for a landing.' He didn't consider this unusual, since engswere often throttled back nr the strip. Ltr, the acft was fnd where it had crashed in a steep nose dwn attitude on a hdgof south, aprx 1/2 mi wsw of the strip. Acft dmg was typical of a slow spd impact. No evidence of eng pwr was evident &no preimpact part failure/malfunction was fnd. The acft was not refueled before flt, but a witness estd there was 5 gal in the main tank & 7 gal in the aux tank. Both tanks were ruptured drg impact & an odor of fuel was noted. The acft was placarded for auto fuel and auto fuel was found in the carb. The aux fuel vlv was fnd in the 'open' psn, altho it was to be closed except to drain aux fuel to the main tank in lvl flt only. Temp & dew point were 78 & 67 deg, respectively. Icing probability charts showed carb icing was possible at rated pwr. The carb heat was fnd in the cold/off psn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3226E
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11AC-1574
- Airframe hours
- 1,600
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8F, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Noel L. King
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 22, 1988 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- NONE
- Destination
- NONE
- Airport
- Paradise, runway 6, 2,360 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 120 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTW, 25 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.