- Date
- January 10, 1994, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Findley Lake, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N29404Aeronca 65-TL
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 14, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 38727
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 failure of a weld at the base of the landing gear which resulted in the failure of the left snow-ski assembly.
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 departed from his farm field in his 1940, wooden snow-ski equipped airplane. His destination was a frozen lake to practice take-offs and landings. He completed one touch and go landing to check the snow depth. During his second landing to a full stop the left gear collapsed and the airplane slid for about 40 feet in the deep snow covered ice. Examination of the airplane revealed that a weld at the base of the left landing gear failed.
Factual narrative
On January 10, 1994, about 1500 eastern standard time, an Aeronca 65-TL, N29404, owned and piloted by Boyce White, was substantially damaged during a landing on Findley Lake, Findley, New York. The pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A flight plan had not been filed for the flight operating under 14 CFR 91.
In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, the student pilot reported that he departed from his farm field in his 1940, wooden snow-ski equipped airplane. His destination was a frozen lake to practice take-offs and landings. He further stated:
"...After one touch and go to check on snow depth, landing gear failed upon touchdown for full stop landing...Plane slid in deep snow-covered ice about 40 feet...."
Examination of the airplane revealed that a weld at the base of the left landing gear failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29404
- Reported as
- Aeronca 65-TL
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- L2960T
- Airframe hours
- 1,663
- Engine
- Lycoming O-145B-2, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Boyce J. White
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 29, 1993 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Clymer, NY
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
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 168 total · 135 in this make and model · 103 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ERI, 26 nm away