N44FC is a 1946 Aeronca 7AC. It is a fixed-wing single-engine aircraft with 2 seats, powered by a Cont Motor A&C65 series rated at 65 horsepower. The registration is active, with the registrant based in Merritt Island, FL. Its standard airworthiness certificate was issued in Jan 1957. It has been registered to its current owner since Aug 2021. This page also carries 1 NTSB event.
- 80 years old
- 1 of 2,049 Aeronca 7AC
2021
1957
That's everything on file so far — TailWiki checks the FAA registry daily and adds new entries as N44FC's record changes.
On August 21, 2022, about 1400 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N44FC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Clermont, Florida. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported that while landing at the Seminole Lake Gliderport on runway 18, the airplane veered left off the runway when the tailwheel touched down and the right wing struck a tree, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing.
The pilot added that the internal tailwheel centering lock spring may have been fractured or disconnected. A mechanic who examined the airplane stated that he was very familiar with the make and model tailwheel as he had over 8,000 hours of flight experience in tailwheel airplanes and has had inspection authorization for over 50 years. He further stated that the make and model tailwheel locking mechanism tend to wear after 500 to 700 hours. After it is worn, although the tailwheel is supposed to follow the rudder, the tailwheel may stay deflected to one side after the rudder is returned to neutral.
The mechanic examined the accident tailwheel in December 2022. He did not disassemble it further as he could tell it was worn from external examination and had seen the issue several times in the past. The mechanic added that after he replaced the old Maule tailwheel with a new API tailwheel, the pilot noticed a significant improvement in the ground steering of the airplane.
No photos yet. Sign in to add the first one.
About the Aeronca 7AC
About the modelThe Champion, or "Champ" — a two-seat tandem taildragger with a fabric-covered tube fuselage, flown solo from the front seat, unlike the Cub it competed with.