- Date
- June 2, 1991, 17:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- St. Xavier, MT
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N10527Aeronca 7BCM
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910602018509A
- Case key
- 41443
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's improper use of the fuel system, and the overfilling of the fuel tank. Contributing to the accident was: aerobatics performed, the pilot's inattention and the design of the fuel system.
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 an Aeronca 7BCM bailed-out at less than 1000 feet AGL when his aircraft caught fire in flight. He stated that approximately five minutes prior to the start of the fire he had overfilled the fuselage header tank while transferring fuel from the wing tanks. This caused fuel to spill out of the top of the tank and splash on the windscreen. Immediately before the fire the pilot was observed making a number of steep 'wing-over' maneuvers and a steep, descending, slipping spiral. The fire spread aft into the pilot area after first being noticed at the firewall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10527
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7BCM
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 48-468
- Engine
- Continental C-90-12, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert W. Epp
- Registered owner
- Robert W. Schaefer
- Departed
- SU7 · Fort Smith, MT
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,072 total · 150 in this make and model · 1,930 as pilot in command · 88 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °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.