Aeronca 7CCM N83977

Summary

On 14 July 2012 at about 11:15 local time, a Aeronca 7CCM registered N83977, operated by Leo G Janssens, was involved in an accident near Ocklawaha, Florida, 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.

Date

14 July 2012 at 11:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Ocklawaha, Florida, United States

Coordinates

29.1236, -81.8869

Aircraft

Aeronca 7CCM

Registration

N83977

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Leo G Janssens

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ocklawaha → Ocklawaha

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA452

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the airplane was last fueled about 3 months prior to the accident and it had not been flown since that day. The pilot added that prior to the accident flight, he conducted a preflight inspection of the airplane, which included verifying that the fuel gauges indicated near full; however, he did not look in the fuel tanks. About 15 minutes after takeoff, about 1,000 feet above ground level, the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot established the best glide speed and started to look for a possible place to perform a forced landing. At the same time, he initiated emergency procedures, which included switching the fuel tanks, but the engine did not regain power. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing to a swampy area. During the landing, the airplane traveled about 50 feet, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane revealed that the fuel tanks were not compromised and did not leak any fuel into the swamp water. The fuel tanks did not contain any fuel in them and no fuel was observed in the fuel lines or carburetor. The examination of the airplane and engine did not disclose any evidence of a mechanical malfunction that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.