Aeronca 7AC N3005E

Summary

On 2 October 2022 at about 15:30 local time, a Aeronca 7AC registered N3005E was involved in an accident near Murray, Kentucky, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 October 2022 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Murray, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

Kyle-Oakley Fld (CEY)

Coordinates

36.6646, -88.3728

Aircraft

Aeronca 7AC

Registration

N3005E

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

ERA23LA002

1 person was seriously injured.

The incorrect (reverse) rigging of the elevator cables by maintenance personnel and their subsequent failure to verify that the rigging was correct during post-maintenance checks and the pilot's inadequate preflight check.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had been in maintenance for repair work on the airplane’s tail section. On the first flight after the completed work, following a preflight inspection and engine run-up, the pilot taxied the airplane to the runway for departure. During the takeoff roll, when the pilot applied forward stick controls to raise the tail, the tail did not rise, and the airplane instead “shot straight up, stalled, then descended nose-first onto the runway.” Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the fuselage. The inspector also noted that the elevator control cables were installed incorrectly such that the elevator moved in the direction opposite to that commanded.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.