Aeronca 11AC N9500E

Summary

On 8 February 2022 at about 16:45 local time, a Aeronca 11AC registered N9500E was involved in an accident near Napa, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 February 2022 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Napa, California, United States

Coordinates

38.4622, -122.2149

Aircraft

Aeronca 11AC

Registration

N9500E

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

Davis → Santa Rosa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA099

Nobody was injured.

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in an off-airport landing on unimproved terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying the airplane to an airport about 48 miles from the departure airport when, 30 minutes after departure while in cruise flight, the engine lost all power. The pilot then verified engine controls were at their correct positions and adjusted the carburetor heat setting. There was no change in engine power, so he made a mayday call and landed the airplane in an open field, during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that both magnetos produced a weak spark on all ignition leads when the propeller was rotated by hand. The left magneto was found to be in poor condition and did not function within the manufacturer’s specifications. Internal examination of the left magneto revealed that the distributor axle bearing had failed, and the distributor gear was missing about half of its gear teeth. The right magneto was found in poor overall condition and was missing about 6 distributor gear teeth; however, it did function within the manufacturer’s specifications. A review of maintenance records revealed no indication that the left and right magnetos were serviced, to include inspections or overhauls, since the engine’s last overhaul 15 years (or about 400 hours) before the accident. While the left magneto was not functioning within the manufacturers specifications, and the right magneto functioned within the manufacturers specifications, it would not result a total loss of engine power. The reason for the total loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.