Aeronca 11AC N86326

Summary

On 29 September 2025 at about 18:00 local time, a Aeronca 11AC registered N86326 was involved in an accident near Longmont, Colorado, United States. 2 people were 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

29 September 2025 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Longmont, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

40.1672, -105.1019

Aircraft

Aeronca 11AC

Registration

N86326

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

Greeley → Longmont

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA403

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot’s improper landing flare which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that there was a total loss of engine power while 1,200 feet above ground level and about 6 nautical miles short of his destination. He performed an off-airport landing, in a pasture, with cows at the far end. During short final, the pilot had to maneuver to avoid rough terrain and a fence and then flared the airplane too high and yawed to one side which resulted in a hard landing. The tailwheel collapsed and there was substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that a miscalculation of fuel quantity and fuel burn led to the fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.