- Date
- May 28, 1990, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rumford, ME
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N85173Aeronca 7AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900528017729A
- Case key
- 36647
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 pilot made a steep turn to avoid the shore line and inadvertently stalled. Factors related to the accident were: the pilots decision to takeoff with a canoe strapped to one of the floats and his lack of experience in carrying a canoe on the floats.
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 strapped a 12 ft canoe (estimated weight 35 lbs) externally to a float and attempted a takeoff with no wind. The lake is approximately 1 mile long and oriented north/south. Three sides of the lake have high terrain. The terrain to the south is swampy and has low trees. The takeoff started at the north end and was to the south. The pilot said he had difficulty in getting on the step, used up too much lake surface and made a steep turn to go north. He got airborne while traveling north; however he had used up too much lake surface to continue, and made a steep turn to the left to go south. He said the wing stalled and he struck the water, ripping off the floats. He said this was the first time he had tried to fly with a canoe on the floats.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N85173
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC-3905
- Airframe hours
- 5,000
- Engine
- Continental C-90-A, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harold L. Heath
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 17, 1984 · 466 hours before
- Departed
- Byron, ME
- Destination
- Livermore Falls, ME
- Airport
- NONE · Middle Ellis Pond
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 794 total · 466 in this make and model · 770 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.