- Date
- March 19, 1988, 10:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Umpqua, OR
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N81788Aeronca 7AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880319006039A
- Case key
- 40791
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
While flying low over a river the aircraft struck unmarked telephone wires. An off-airport landing was made onto a cow pasture. During the landing the aircraft struck the ground nose first. Post acc inspection revealed telephone wire insulation wedged near the bottom of the carburetor air cleaner. The telephone wire had broken the carburetor casting that holds the carb to the intake pipes. The plt said that he lost eng power. The damage noted would result in loss of power. The plt offered no explanation for the low flying but sent his plt cert to FAA and said he had violated far's. his recommendation for prevention was to avoid low flying.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N81788
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC-411
- Airframe hours
- 2,431
- Engine
- Continental C-65-B, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ernest Swinn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 24, 1987
- Departed
- 5S1 · Roseburg, OR
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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,207 total · 310 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.