Aeronca 11AC N86078

Summary

On 3 July 2016 at about 21:22 local time, a Aeronca 11AC registered N86078 was involved in an accident near Frankenmuth, Michigan, 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

3 July 2016 at 21:22

Classification

Accident

Location

Frankenmuth, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

William Zehnder Field Airport (66G)

Coordinates

43.3150, -83.7053

Aircraft

Aeronca 11AC

Registration

N86078

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Frankenmuth → Frankenmuth

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN16FA240

2 people died.

The pilot's loss of control for undetermined reasons based on available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were on a local pleasure flight in a single-engine airplane.  A witness reported that the pilot was doing touch-and-go landings. The wind was calm, so the pilot departed to the east and then returned to land to the west. The witness did not see the crash but heard the impact and then saw smoke. The airplane impacted a cornfield about 1/4 mile east of the airport. A postcrash fire consumed or thermally damaged the majority of the airplane. The fire and impact damage limited the scope of the examination; however, no evidence of pre-impact abnormalities was noted with the engine or airframe. The pilot's autopsy and toxicology testing found no evidence of any medical condition or medication use that would have impaired his performance, and he had favorable weather conditions for the flight. The accident was consistent with the pilot's loss of control for undetermined reasons.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.