Aeronca 7FC N7541B

Summary

On 17 April 2026 at about 18:30 local time, a Aeronca 7FC registered N7541B was involved in an accident near Bend, Oregon, 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

17 April 2026 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Bend, Oregon, United States

Nearest airport

Bend Municipal Airport (BDN)

Coordinates

44.0934, -121.2026

Aircraft

Aeronca 7FC

Registration

N7541B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Madras → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR26LA165

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing roll. Contributing to the accident was the rotor wash from a nearby helicopter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, the airplane veered to the left and exited the runway. The pilot applied right rudder input and increased engine power to raise the tail as he maneuvered the airplane toward the runway surface. As the airplane rolled onto the runway surface, it veered to the right, exited the runway, and continued onto the parallel taxiway. The pilot firmly applied both brakes to avoid a fuel island and the airplane subsequently nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 16, with light and variable wind. The pilot reported that there was a helicopter to the left of the runway on a parallel taxiway and felt that its rotor wash was a factor in the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.