Aeronca 65-TAC accident near Harrisonburg, VA
On May 13, 2005, an Aeronca 65-TAC (airplane) was involved in an accident near Harrisonburg, VA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 13, 2005
- Place
- Harrisonburg, VA
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 65-TAC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 38.529°N, 78.887°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050523X00652
NTSB summary
On May 13, 2005, about 1130 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 65-TAC, N36973, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Harrisonburg, Virginia. The certificated commercial pilot and passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which departed from Winchester Regional Airport (OKV), Winchester, Virginia, about 1000, and conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. HISTORY OF FLIGHT The airplane came to rest on rural, hilly terrain, owned by a relative of the pilot. In a written statement, the property owner recounted witnessing the final portion of the accident flight. The witness was standing on his back porch when he saw the airplane fly past. He had never seen the airplane before, but immediately saw both occupants' faces, and observed them waving as the airplane flew by. He then went inside his home, and heard the airplane fly by again, in close proximity to the house. He heard the engine "sputter," and specifically recalled hearing the engine increase in power, followed by a sudden, total silence. About 2 to 3 seconds later, he heard the sounds of impact, and responded to the accident scene. The witness also noted that on several previous occasions, the pilot had flown past his property in a rented Cessna airplane, and that that all of the previous flights were conducted at an altitude greater than 500 feet above ground level. During telephone interviews, two additional witnesses recounted seeing and hearing the accident airplane just prior to the accident. One witness saw the air
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and subsequent impact with the ground.
More accidents in VA
- Boeing 757-200, Sep 11, 2001
- Beech B99, Sep 23, 1985
- Beech 65, Sep 10, 1995
- Beech 200, Oct 24, 2004
- Piper PA-31-310, Nov 14, 1982
Browse: Virginia · Aeronca aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
