Aeronca 7AC N1294E

Summary

On 29 May 2022 at about 21:00 local time, a Aeronca 7AC registered N1294E was involved in an accident near Melrose, Tennessee, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

29 May 2022 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Melrose, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.7564, -83.8305

Aircraft

Aeronca 7AC

Registration

N1294E

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

Maryville → Seymour

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA249

2 people had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he departed from the private grass airstrip on his farm and had been flying for about 25 minutes. He climbed to 2,500 ft mean sea level (msl) before descending to 1,500 ft msl and turning to the northeast. The airplane’s engine then lost all power and the pilot turned northwest toward “river bottoms” that were about 1 mile away to attempt a forced landing. When it was obvious that the airplane could not reach the river bottoms, he maneuvered to an area that did not have any large trees. During the forced landing, the airplane’s right wing struck a tree and the airplane then spun 180° before coming to rest, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and rudder. In his written statement, the pilot did not indicate whether he had attempted to restart the engine or had applied carburetor heat after the engine lost all power. The on-site examination of the airplane found the carburetor heat in the OFF position. The pilot reported that he had departed with about 12 gallons of fuel on board. Although only about an inch of fuel was found remaining in the 13-gallon fuel tank the day after the accident, the examination revealed that the gascolator bowl was missing/broken, which likely would have allowed any remaining fuel to drain out. A fuel selector valve had been installed behind the firewall between the fuel tank and the fuel line that led to the gascolator. The installed fuel selector valve was not labeled with ON and OFF locations and the valve was able to be turned 360° with ease, with no apparent detents. The airframe examination also revealed that the original fuel shutoff valve handle located on the engine control panel had been disconnected. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. It is possible that during the flight the modified fuel selector valve vibrated, or was inadvertently moved by the pilot, to a position that stopped or reduced the fuel flow to the gascolator. However, a weather reporting station located about 8 miles from the accident site indicated that the temperature was 84° F, and the dew point was 61°F. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, Carburetor Icing Prevention, indicated that the weather conditions at the time were conducive to serious icing at glide power. Based on the reported conditions and accident scenario, the airplane likely encountered serious carburetor icing conditions during the 1,000 ft descent, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.