Aeronca AR-58-058B N46183

Summary

On 28 April 2003 at about 21:00 local time, a Aeronca AR-58-058B registered N46183 was involved in an accident near Brattleboro, Vermont, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

28 April 2003 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Brattleboro, Vermont, United States

Nearest airport

Moores Field (VT41)

Coordinates

42.9242, -72.5297

Aircraft

Aeronca AR-58-058B

Registration

N46183

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brattleboro → Brattleboro

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

NTSB number

IAD03LA052

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and a subsequent descent into trees. A factor in the accident was the downdrafts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, during an initial climbout from a 1,700-foot grass airstrip, at an altitude of about 200 feet, a "gust of wind" forced the airplane downward. The pilot was unable to continue the climb, so he initiated a turn to the left, and the airplane subsequently "stalled into the trees." A witness reported that the airplane "lost lift" over a sandpit, an area where local pilots expected downdrafts. The accident pilot had never departed over the sandpit before.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.