Aeronca C-3 N17438
3 March 2002 · Sonoma, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 3 March 2002 at about 23:00 local time, a Aeronca C-3 registered N17438 was involved in an accident near Sonoma, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sonoma, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Sonoma Skypark Airport (0Q9)
- Coordinates
- 38.2578, -122.4344
- Aircraft
- Aeronca C-3
- Registration
- N17438
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sonoma → Sonoma
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX02LA100
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's excessive remedial control inputs in response to a passenger's control inputs, which led to a failure to maintain an adequate airspeed and an inadvertent stall/mush. The pilot's inadequate preflight decision to allow a student pilot to occupy the only seat with full flight controls was a factor in the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During the takeoff climb out, the airplane veered to the right and nose dived into a junkyard. A passenger who held a student pilot certificate, was invited by the owner to fly the airplane. The owner placed the student in the left seat, which was the side that had the flight control stick, rudder pedals, and brakes. The owner sat in the right seat, which did not have a flight control stick but did have rudder pedals. The student said there were no problems encountered during takeoff. Once they had climbed over the tress, the left wing dropped abruptly. A couple of seconds after she corrected the wings to a straight and level attitude, the pilot-in-command reached over to her side and took over the flight controls. The airplane banked and fell off to the right and struck the ground in a nose-down, left wing low attitude. Initial and follow-up examinations of the airplane and powerplant did not expose any preimpact mechanical discrepancies.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Aeronca C-3 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jun 2005 | Aeronca C-3 | Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 1982 | Aeronca C-3 | Ocean City, Maryland, United States | Jehu D. Quillin III | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1980 | Aeronca C-3 | Luray, Indiana, United States | Experimental A | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Apr 1966 | Aeronca C-3 | Hope Mills Nc, North Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2002 | Ayres S2R-T34 | Firebaugh, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2002 | Beechcraft A36TC | San Andreas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 May 2002 | Sierra RAF 2000 GTX-SE | Lompoc, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2002 | Trenti RV-4 | Jacumba, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Thunder and Colt COLT 120 A | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-42-2 JANTAR | Hemet, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |