- Date
- July 19, 1994, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lutz, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9354EAeronca 11AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940719027409A
- Case key
- 37576
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 certified flight instructor's improper supervision of the student pilot during a wheel landing resulting in an on ground loss of control (inadvertent ground loop). Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's improper use of flight controls and throttle during the landing rollout.
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
The student pilot was making a wheel landing with a slight cross wind. On landing rollout the tail started to go to the left. The student pilot applied rudder and throttle, and felt the certified flight instructor get on the flight controls. The airplane ground looped before either pilot could correct the situation.
Factual narrative
On July 19,1994, about 1430 eastern daylight time, N9354E, an Aeronca 11AC, registered to the student pilot, Victor Bertheldorf, crashed on landing attempt at Lutz, Florida, while on a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the student and instructor reported no injuries. The local flight originated about 45 minutes earlier.
The student pilot stated he was on an instructional flight with his certified flight instructor (CFI). He was making a wheel landing to runway 36 with a slight cross wind from the east. On landing rollout the tail of the airplane started to move to the left. He applied rudder and power and felt the CFI get on the flight controls. The airplane ground looped before he or the CFI could correct the situation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9354E
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11AC-991
- Airframe hours
- 737
- Engine
- Continental A&C65, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bertheldorf, Victor
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 3, 1993 · 26 hours before
- Airport
- X05 · Pilot Country Airport, runway 36, 3,700 × 72 ft, asphalt
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 89 total · 44 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIE, 41 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.
Other investigations on N9354E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.