- Date
- April 19, 1987, 08:35 local (13:35 UTC)
- Place
- Stillwell, KS
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N85846Aeronca 11AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870419081069A
- Case key
- 34286
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 pilot stated that this flight was to be a photographic, pleasure trip involving two aircraft. After several aerial photos were taken of each other's aircraft, both airplanes landed at the accident airport. The PIC and his passenger then took-off while the other aircraft stayed on the ground in order for its crew to photograph the airborne aircraft. According to the PIC, he made several low passes over the aerodrome when, suddenly, wind shear caused the aircraft to weathercock and stall from approx 40 ft AGL, precluding any stall recovery before impact. According to the national weather service, winds in the area at the time of the accident were from the southeast at 16 KTS, gusting to 25 KTS. Airport personnel reported that trees had been planted recently--by neighbors--in the immediate perimeter of the airstrip.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N85846
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11AC-254
- Airframe hours
- 2,128
- Engine
- Continental C-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dan Minges
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 21, 1986 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- IXD · Olathe, KS
- Airport
- 64K · Mission Road, runway 18, 2,065 × 100 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
- 33
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,010 total · 215 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 16 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OJC, 6 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.