Aeronca 7DC N4542E
28 January 1990 · El Paso, Texas, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 28 January 1990 at about 21:10 local time, a Aeronca 7DC registered N4542E, operated by Barrett, Philip C., was involved in an accident near El Paso, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- El Paso, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- West Texas (TX04)
- Coordinates
- 31.6393, -106.2694
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7DC
- Registration
- N4542E
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Barrett, Philip C.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- El Paso → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW90FA059
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
POWER LOSS DUE TO FAILURE OF THE CARBURETOR ASSEMBLY AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO CORRECT KNOWN DEFICIENCIES. FACTORS WERE CONTAMINATED FUEL, PARTIALLY BLOCKED FUEL SCREEN, FOULED SPARK PLUGS, THE ROUGH TERRAIN, AND THE LACK OF SHOULDER HARNESSES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE ENGINE LOST POWER SHORTLY AFTER LIFTOFF AND THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A GRAVEL PIT, INTENTIONALLY STALLING THE AIRPLANE TO OBTAIN THE LOWEST POSSIBLE LANDING SPEED. THE AIRPLANE HAD A STC FOR AND WAS BEING OPERATED ON AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE. RESIDUAL FUEL AND DEBRIS WERE NOTED IN THE MAIN FUEL TANK. THE FILTER SCREEN WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 20% BLOCKED BY SAN AND DEBRIS. SOME WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL. THE CARBURETOR NEEDLE VALVE WAS FOUND TO BE BINDING. IT HAD A FLAT SPOT ON ONE SIDE, ALLOWING FUEL TO FLOOD THE BOWL. THE #1 SPARK PLUG WAS INOPERATIVE. THE #3 PLUG WAS OIL SOAKED. ALL PLUGS AND THE EXHAUST PIPE HAD CARBON DEPOSITS. TWO DAYS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, AN AIRPORT WORKER STARTED THE ENGINE AND IT RAN FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE IT STOPPED. NO REASON WAS GIVEN FOR THE STOPPAGE, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT WAS INVESTIGATED FURTHER. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH SHOULDER HARNESSES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aeronca 7 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jul 1990 | Aeronca 7BCM | Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States | Edward Cole | No injuries | - |
| 12 Apr 1990 | Aeronca 7AC | Branson, Missouri, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 1990 | Aeronca 7AC | Deer River, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 1990 | Aeronca 7AC | Trona, California, United States | Aasgard, Lewis | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Apr 1990 | Aeronca 7AC | Blossvale, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 1990 | Aeronca 7AC | Kutztown, Pennsylvania, United States | Kutztown Aviation SER., Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,361 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Mar 1990 | Bell 206B | Pearland, Texas, United States | Houston Helicopter, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1990 | Cessna 172G | Rio Hondo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Mar 1990 | Beechcraft 100 | Uvalde, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1990 | Hughes H500C | Houston, Texas, United States | Mark R. Lancaster | No injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 1990 | Hughes 369HS | Junction, Texas, United States | Neveri, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 16 Apr 1990 | Cessna 152 | Albany, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |