CEN23FA248

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

The accident flight was the first flight after the pilot completed an annual inspection the previous day. The pilot and passenger were completing a local flight to the pilot’s private grass strip. GPS data revealed that the airplane flew about 18 nm, then approached the grass strip and entered a left downwind for the runway. The airplane overflew the runway about 100 ft above ground level (agl) at a groundspeed of 58 mph. Near the departure end of the runway the airplane climbed and accelerated to 64 mph, then gradually slowed to 54 mph and reached a peak altitude of 240 ft agl. The airplane then made a descending left turn toward the accident site. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the outboard leading edge of the right wing exhibited aft accordion crush damage, the empennage was distorted to the right, and the engine and propeller were buried into the ground. Rotational scoring and leading edge damage was noted on both propeller blades and several tree limbs were cut by the rotating propeller blades. The examination revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The flight track showing a descending left turn, the position of the wreckage, the right wing crush damage, the empennage distorted to the right, and the lack of a horizontal debris field all suggest that the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall before it impacted the ground. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack and failed to maintain proper airspeed at an altitude too low to recover, which resulted in a loss of control and impact with terrain.

The airplane’s maintenance records showed that an annual inspection was signed off by the accident pilot the day before the accident. There were no outstanding discrepancies noted in the maintenance logbook entries. There was no electrical system installed in the airplane. The most recent airplane weight and balance from October 13, 2021, revealed that the empty weight was 910 lbs and the maximum gross weight was 1,300 lbs, which allowed a useful load of 390 lbs. At the time of the accident, the airplane was about 136 lbs over maximum gross weight and the center of gravity was within an acceptable range. This weight is estimated based on 5 gallons of fuel in the auxiliary fuel tanks. The actual total amount of fuel onboard is unknown as both the main fuel tank and the left auxiliary fuel tank were breached. The wreckage was located in a densely wooded area about 1,500 ft east of the private grass strip. There was no noticeable damage to the surrounding trees or to the tree canopy (Figure 2). The airplane impacted in a right-wing-low and nose-down attitude. The right wing’s leading edge exhibited accordion crush damage and the empennage was distorted to the right. The left wing was mostly straight with wrinkling and minimal leading edge damage. Figure 2. Aerial view of accident site (Courtesy of Sheriff’s Office). Flight control continuity was established, through overload separations and first responder cuts, from the cockpit controls to the control surfaces. The front and back seats remained attached to their respective fuselage attach points. Both sets of 3-point harness assemblies remained latched but the left side of each lap belt was cut during the recovery. Both shoulder harness webbings were separated at the Y junctions. All harnesses remained attached to their respective fuselage attach points. The main fuel tank and left auxiliary fuel tank were breached and did not contain fuel. There was blue aviation gasoline found pooled in the cockpit area underneath the main tank. The right auxiliary fuel tank contained about 2.5 gallons of aviation gasoline. The engine and propeller were buried in the ground and remained attached to the airframe. One propeller blade was bent aft about mid-span and the other blade was relatively straight with no noticeable bending. Both blades exhibited leading edge gouges and chordwise abrasions. At the accident site, underneath the right wing and near the engine, there were several tree branches that exhibited 45° cuts and visible paint transfer from impact with the rotating propeller. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. On June 21, 2023, at 0719 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7CCM airplane, N308ED, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Duluth, Minnesota. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot had just completed an annual inspection on the airplane the day before the accident. Family and coworkers of the pilot stated that the pilot was likely flying to his private airstrip to view the area. Data from the pilot’s handheld GPS revealed that after departure, the airplane proceeded northeast about 18 nm to the pilot’s private grass airstrip. The airplane approached from the south and entered a left downwind for the east runway. The airplane overflew the runway about 100 ft agl and 58 mph groundspeed. Near the departure end of the runway the airplane climbed and accelerated to 64 mph, then gradually slowed to 54 mph and reached a peak of 240 ft agl. The airplane then made a descending left turn toward the accident site (Figure 1). Figure 1. End of accident flight track overlaid on Google Earth.