LAX94LA267

A witness heard the aircraft taking off, followed by the engine cutting in and out (three or four times) before quitting completely. The witness lost sight of the aircraft, but found it shortly afterwards, nose down on the ground, off the end of the runway. No mechanical problem with the engine was found. The pilot's widow said that he had by-pass surgery in 1989 and suffered a stroke in 1993; however, a pathological exam indicated no evidence that a related event had occurred. The density altitude was about 6500 feet.

On June 28, 1994, about 0810 hours mountain standard time, an Aeronca 11AC, N5512N, was substantially damaged during a collision with terrain near Wickenburg, Arizona. The pilot received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local personal flight.

The flight was originating at the time of the accident. The pilot was reportedly planning on doing some touch-and-go landings on runway 13 at Moreton, a private dirt airstrip. The Moreton airstrip is listed as 4,700 feet long at an elevation of 2,455 feet msl. The temperature was reported as 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The density altitude was calculated to be about 6,500 feet.

A witness reported that he observed the airplane taxi to the end of the runway, turn around, and take off. He stated that the airplane became airborne soon after the takeoff roll. Then while airborne, the engine cut in and out three times before quitting completely. The witness lost sight of the airplane and realized that the pilot was about out of runway. He drove out towards the runway and observed the aircraft nose down in the ground off the end of the runway.

According to the widow, the pilot had by-pass surgery in 1989 after experiencing a heart attack and, in 1993, suffered a stroke. Also, she indicated that the engine quit twice in the last month. She did not give any details.

Inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that they found the throttle control handle at flight idle and the fuel mixture control in the full rich position. The fuel primer was in and locked and the magneto was on the both position. They reported no mechanical problems with the engine.

The Yavapai County Medical Examiner's Office in Prescott, Arizona, performed the autopsy and listed the cause of death as trauma with no evidence of an acute cardiac event. The toxicological report was negative for drugs or alcohol.