Aeronca S-65-CA N1049Y

Summary

On 28 July 2001 at about 22:42 local time, a Aeronca S-65-CA registered N1049Y was involved in an accident near Esperance, New York, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 July 2001 at 22:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Esperance, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Private Strip (NONE)

Coordinates

42.8011, -74.2608

Aircraft

Aeronca S-65-CA

Registration

N1049Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Esperance → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD01FA086

2 people died.

The pilot's inadequate decision and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance. Contributing factors are a transmission wire and the pilot's intentional low pass.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed the grass strip at his home for a local flight. Neighbors said the airplane over-flew their home at treetop level, and then descended over a cliff into a creek bed headed downstream. At the point where the witnesses said the airplane entered the creek bed, the distance from the top of the trees at the edge of the cliff to the surface of the water was about 200 feet. The airplane continued down stream and struck a pair of unmarked, parallel wires suspended approximately 50 feet above the surface of the water. The witnesses said the sound of the engine was smooth and without interruption until the sound of the crash. Examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies. Witnesses who lived along the river said the airplane made several low-level passes down the creek in the weeks preceding the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.