Aeronca 7AC accident near Taunton, MA
On August 25, 2013, an Aeronca 7AC (airplane) was involved in an accident near Taunton, MA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 25, 2013
- Place
- Taunton, MA
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.873°N, 71.011°W
- NTSB ID
- 20130825X91338
Official records · ERA13FA372
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 25, 2013, about 0615 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N83863, operated by a private individual, was destroyed during a postcrash fire after it impacted the ground during the initial climb after takeoff from the Taunton Municipal Airport (TAN), Taunton, Massachusetts. The private pilot owner and a private pilot passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight that was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The airplane was based at TAN and purchased by the owner on July 31, 2013. According to the airport manager, the passenger also owned an Aeronca 7AC that was based at the airport. The airport manager further stated that a security access log showed that the passenger's credentials were utilized to gain access to the ramp area at 0537. A witness at the airport stated that he observed the airplane taking off from runway 30, a 3,500-foot-long, 75-foot-wide, asphalt runway. The airplane accelerated and climbed normally to an altitude between 50 to 100 feet above the ground. The airplane then entered a slow right turn and began to descend until it impacted the ground and immediately became engulfed in fire. The witness added that he did not hear any engine anomalies during the accident sequence. The airplane impacted the ground and subsequently came to rest in a ditch located about 1,100 feet from the beginning of and 250 feet to the right of runway 30. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot/owner, age 69, held a private pilot certificate
Probable cause
The pilot/owner’s inadequate preflight inspection and inadequate pretakeoff check of the flight controls, which resulted in a takeoff with the rudder gust lock installed. Contributing to the accident was the pilot-rated passenger’s failure to detect that the rudder gust lock was installed.
More accidents in MA
- Gulfstream Aerospace G IV, Jun 1, 2014
- Beechcraft B200, Apr 4, 2003
- Cessna 425, Oct 25, 2006
- Piper PA-32-300, Mar 3, 2003
- Cirrus SR-22, Apr 9, 2009
Browse: Massachusetts · 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.
