# NTSB IAD03LA052: Aeronca AR-58-058B, N46183, Brattleboro, VT, April 28, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 28, 2003, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Brattleboro, VT - Coordinates: 42.924167, -72.529724 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.9242&lon=-72.5297&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor, 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Portland FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 56925 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=IAD03LA052 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/56925/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD03LA052 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and a subsequent descent into trees. A factor in the accident was the downdrafts. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - downdraft (contributing factor) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command - In flight collision with object, descent - uncontrolled - object - tree(s) ## Analysis According to the pilot, during an initial climbout from a 1,700-foot grass airstrip, at an altitude of about 200 feet, a "gust of wind" forced the airplane downward. The pilot was unable to continue the climb, so he initiated a turn to the left, and the airplane subsequently "stalled into the trees." A witness reported that the airplane "lost lift" over a sandpit, an area where local pilots expected downdrafts. The accident pilot had never departed over the sandpit before. ## Factual narrative On April 28, 2003, at 1700 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca AR-58-058B, N46183, was substantially damaged shortly after takeoff from Moore's Field (VT41), Brattleboro, Vermont. The certificated private pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that the airport consisted of a single grass runway about 1,700 feet in length, and 40 feet wide. The pilot had flown into the airport the previous September and had only made one flight since then, on April 25th, in which he performed three takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern. The runway was oriented on a north-south heading, and while based at the airport, he had never taken off toward the south. On the day of the accident, the pilot determined, by observing the windsock, that the winds were from the southwest, gusting to about 15 knots. He performed a preflight inspection, and decided to take off toward the south. During the takeoff climb, at an altitude of about 200 feet, a "gust of wind" forced the airplane downward, and the pilot was unable to continue the climb. The pilot initiated a turn to the left, and the airplane then "stalled into the trees." The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane, and stated that he "should have waited for the wind to stop gusting" before he departed. A witness, who also had experience flying at the airport, stated that he observed the airplane depart toward the south and climb "slowly and steadily." As the airplane flew over a sandpit at the departure end of the runway, it "lost lift, and fell to the left, impacting trees." The witness stated that pilots based at the airport often expected downdrafts in the vicinity of the sandpit. Another witness observed the airplane during the takeoff climb. She stated that it began to "wobble" from side to side, the left wing dropped, and it "fell into the trees." An examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings. No mechanical anomalies were noted. Weather reported at the Hartness State Airport (VSF), Springfield, Vermont, 25 miles to the north, at 1654, included winds from 260 degrees true at 10 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 79 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 34 degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter setting 29.75 inches Hg. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N46183](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N46183), registered now, S/N 058B10483, built 1947 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Aeronca AR-58-058B - Registry model: [Aeronca 0-58B](https://openairdocs.org/model/aeronca-0-58b) (registry code 0191006) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental A&C65 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (registry code 17003, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 658B10483 - Engines: Continental A-65-8 65 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 1, 2002 - Departed: VT41, Brattleboro, VT - Destination: Brattleboro, VT - Airport: VT41, Moores Field, runway 21, 1,800 × 80 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; injuries: minor; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, single-engine sea; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; flight hours: 494 total, 3 in this make and model, 462 as pilot in command, 1 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC) - Wind: 260° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 79 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.75 inHg - Observed at: VSF, 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030428006969A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030428006969A), Apr 28, 2003: Aronca O58A, Brattleboro, VT, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot stated that after takeoff, aircraft was not climbing. Pilot then lowered the nose and a gust of wind lowered the left wing and the aircraft… 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.