- Date
- September 1, 2025, 14:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Firebaugh, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N82003Aeronca 7AC
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 201762
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
A loss of directional control during landing due to the partial separation of the right main landing gear oleo strut from a failed weld.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that the airplane landed in a three-point configuration. Soon after touchdown the airplane veered right, and the left wing pitched up. The pilot depressed the left rudder pedal and reduced power. However, the airplane continued to veer right, departed the runway and impacted a chain link fence, which resulted in substantial damage to the right-wing strut. The pilot reported observing skid marks and a long trench consistent with the right main landing gear position in the accident path. The right main landing gear was found partially separated at the accident site. Postaccident examination of the right main landing gear by the accident pilot and his mechanic revealed that the oleo strut fractured and separated due to a failed weld on the upper attachment end, which resulted in a partial separation of the right main landing gear after landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82003
- Reported as
- Aeronca 7AC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7AC-628
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 6,073.2
- Engine
- Cont Motor C85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bugsmashers Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 16, 2025
- Departed
- PRB · Paso Robles, CA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- F34 · Firebaugh, runway 30, 3,012 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 26, 2023
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,180 total · 25 in this make and model · 1,000 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Icing
- Unknown
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KMAE, 21 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KMAE 022053Z AUTO 21005KT 10SM CLR 38/12 A2984 RMK AO2 SLP101 T03830122 58015 $=
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 41.7 MB in all.
Other investigations on N82003 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.