Aeronca 7AC N1472E

Summary

On 21 August 2021 at about 13:53 local time, a Aeronca 7AC registered N1472E was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 August 2021 at 13:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Flying Oaks Airport (2TE2)

Coordinates

32.8246, -97.5307

Aircraft

Aeronca 7AC

Registration

N1472E

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

Fort Worth → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21FA377

2 people died.

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s weight and balance limitations and decreased takeoff performance.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were departing on a local flight. One witness, a flight instructor, described the takeoff roll as “extra-long” and stated that the airplane “appeared to get slow” during the initial climb. He reported that the airplane started a “roll to the right,” the left wing “fell,” and the airplane stalled and entered a spin from about 100 ft above ground level (agl). A second witness reported that, during the takeoff, the airplane appeared to be “barely climbing.” Near the end of the runway, about 100 ft agl, he observed a “strong right yaw” followed by a gradual left turn. The pilot appeared to lower the nose, then the airplane “rolled hard left,” and entered a spin. The airplane came to rest about 1,100 ft southeast of the departure end of the runway. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of weight and balance information showed that the airplane was likely 225 lbs over its maximum takeoff weight at the time of the accident. Additionally, the density altitude at the time of the accident was about 2,600 ft. Both the overweight condition of the airplane and the density altitude conditions would have resulted in a significant loss of airplane performance, which is consistent with the witness observations of a long takeoff roll and slow rate of climb. It is likely that, during the initial climb, the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at an altitude too low for recovery.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.