Aeronca 7AC N1976E

Summary

On 2 June 2022 at about 22:45 local time, a Aeronca 7AC registered N1976E was involved in an accident near Bowling Green, Missouri, 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

2 June 2022 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Bowling Green, Missouri, United States

Coordinates

39.4057, -91.3115

Aircraft

Aeronca 7AC

Registration

N1976E

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

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22FA223

2 people died.

The pilots’ failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Two pilots were conducting a local flight to practice basic agricultural flight maneuvers. A witness observed the airplane enter a right turn at low altitude, during which the right wing dropped, and the airplane nosed down toward terrain and disappeared from his view. The airplane impacted terrain in a nose- and left-wing-low attitude in a field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and empennage. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane damage was consistent with a near-vertical descent, indicative of an aerodynamic stall. It could not be determined which of the two pilots was flying the airplane at the time of the accident. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilots’ failure to maintain sufficient airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.