Aeronca BL7-AC N83866
1 September 2000 · Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 1 September 2000 at about 20:38 local time, a Aeronca BL7-AC registered N83866 was involved in an accident near Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. 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 20:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Hot Springs Muni (HOT)
- Coordinates
- 34.4507, -93.0997
- Aircraft
- Aeronca BL7-AC
- Registration
- N83866
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Conway → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW00LA247
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control during landing. A factor was the wind gusts.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
About 20 minutes into the cross-country flight, the pilot observed several lightning strikes ahead of his flight path. He turned 180 degrees to return to his departure point, and after about 5 minutes, he observed a storm developing in his flight path. He then decided to fly south toward the closest airport. Upon reaching the airport, he determined the winds to be light and variable out of the west. On final approach, just before touchdown on runway 23, 'wind started to buffet the aircraft.' Full aileron deflection was used to keep the right wing down after touchdown. The airplane then drifted off the runway and into the grass. As this was occurring, the pilot started to apply 'a little power' to gain more rudder control when 'a large gust of wind hit the aircraft causing the right wing to [go] completely over, striking the surface.' Subsequently, the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing spar, both wing struts, and the rudder. The wind, 16 minutes after the accident, was from 260 degrees at 16 knots with gusts to 26 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Aug 2000 | Aeronca 15AC | Pettigrew, Arkansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2000 | Aero Commander 685 | Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Aug 2000 | Air Tractor AT-502 | Helena, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2000 | Pzl-Mielec M-18A | Jacksonville, Arkansas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Apr 2000 | Piper PA-34-200T | Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 2000 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Gould, Arkansas, United States | Rogers Flying Service | No injuries | - |