- Date
- April 9, 1982, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Beach Lake, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N85940Aeronca 11AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 9, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820409008719A
- Case key
- 69901
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 of a ski equipped aircraft began taking off on a 900 ft strip. There was snow on the runway, but grass showed through in places. The pilot reported that the aircraft slowed "very very little" while crossing an area with grass showing. Just beyond this spot, the aircraft encountered an area of deeper snow with no tracks previously broken through. The pilot reported that the aircraft would not accelerate in the deeper snow. The last 40 to 50 ft of the field sloped downward to the remains of a stone wall that had been partially removed. Just before going off the slope, the pilot rotated and the tailwheel dragged through the deep snow. The aircraft became airborne, but settled. The tail of the plane struck the stone wall and the empennage separated. The aircraft continued through some bushes and a swampy area before coming to rest.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N85940
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 352
- Airframe hours
- 1,730
- Engine
- Continental 65-8, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- J Mohrmann
- Registered owner
- J Mohrmann
- Departed
- Beach Lake, PA
- Destination
- Beach Lake, PA
- Airport
- Private Strip, runway 7, 900 × 0 ft, gravel
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,450 total · 1,403 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.