- Date
- June 26, 1982, 19:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Peach Bottom, PA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 2 serious, 4 minor; on the ground: 2 fatal, 1 serious, 4 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9451EAeronca 11AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820626024819A
- Case key
- 72176
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 non-certificated pilot took off with one passenger on board and with both doors removed. Witnesses observed the pilot make a number of passes near boats, under power lines and near people on the surface. A number of witnesses stated the passenger was sitting with his legs hanging out the passenger's doorway. During one of the passes, the aircraft hit the front end of a boat. The passenger in the aircraft and two occupants on the boat were fatally injured. The pilot and one occupant on the boat were seriously injured. An investigation revealed the pilot had been flying regularly, he had about 313 hrs total flying time, but had no medical or pilot certificate. No authorization had been obtained to fly the aircraft without doors. The pilot reported adding 12 gal of auto fuel before takeoff. The plane had flown about 3.5 hrs before crashing. Due to impact damage and being submerged in water, the amount of fuel on board at impact was not determined. The pilot's blood/alcohol level was reported as .14%.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9451E
- Reported as
- Aeronca 11AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1089
- Airframe hours
- 2,663
- Engine
- Continental A-65, 75 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Mary A. Osborne
- Registered owner
- Mary A. Osborne
- Departed
- Conowingo, MD
- Destination
- Conowingo, MD
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
- 38
- Medical
- Unknown
- Flight hours
- 313 total · 313 in this make and model · 300 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 13 statute miles
- Temperature
- 172 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N9451E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.