N84396Aeronca 7AC · 1946

On May 5, 2018, about 0905 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N84396, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Randall Airport (06N), Middletown, New York. The pilot was fatally injured, and the flight instructor was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.

According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to perform a flight review for the pilot. The flight instructor and the pilot discussed his currency and the status of his medical certificate, which was valid, and agreed that the pilot would be the pilot-in-command for the flight. Before moving the airplane out of the hangar, the pilot performed a preflight inspection. The flight instructor recalled that the pilot had measured the amount of fuel in the single fuel tank and reported that it was "slightly more than a half tank." They moved the airplane out of the hangar, started the engine (the flight instructor performed the cockpit duties as the pilot hand-propped the engine), and then taxied toward the runway. The pilot was in the front seat, and the flight instructor was in the back seat. The flight instructor did not recall any further information about the flight.

A witness, who was driving on the road adjacent to the accident site, observed the airplane flying in a westerly direction when it "suddenly went nose down." She then stopped her car, saw that the airplane had impacted a wooded area, and called 911.

According to his logbook, the pilot had accumulated 737 total hours of flight experience, 11.9 hours of which were in the accident airplane make and model. He had flown 2 solo flight hours accident airplane make and model. Before the accident flight, the pilot's last flight in the accident airplane occurred on December 4, 2016. The pilot had logged about 10 hours during the year preceding the accident, none of which were in the accident airplane make and model.

The tandem two-seat, high-wing, airplane was constructed of welded tubes covered by fabric. The wooden wing spars were replaced with aluminum spars in December 2017. Flight and engine controls could be manipulated by either the front or rear seat occupant. The airplane was not equipped with a stall warning system or instruments for a rear-seat pilot.

The airplane was shared by members of a flying club. According to handwritten fueling records that the club kept, the airplane was last refueled on April 11, 2018, with 5.1 gallons. It had been flown once since that time, on April 14, 2018, for a total of 0.57 hour, with an ending tachometer time of 1,333.36 hours. The tachometer reading at the time of the accident was 1,333.47 hours. A review of the fuel records revealed that the airplane used an average of 4 gallons per tachometer hour. The fuel tank capacity was 13 gallons.

Calculations using the weight and balance documentation found in the airplane, FAA records of the pilots' weight, and an assumption of 7 gallons of fuel (based on the pilot's statement to the flight instructor that the tank was half full) indicated that the airplane would have weighed about 1,324 pounds. The maximum gross weight listed in the weight and balance documentation was 1,220 pounds; thus, the airplane weighed 104 pounds more than the maximum gross weight during the accident flight.

The rear seat shoulder harness was installed pursuant to a supplemental type certificate in December 2016.

The tandem two-seat, high-wing, airplane was constructed of welded tubes covered by fabric. The wooden wing spars were replaced with aluminum spars in December 2017. Flight and engine controls could be manipulated by either the front or rear seat occupant. The airplane was not equipped with a stall warning system or instruments for a rear-seat pilot.

The airplane was shared by members of a flying club. According to handwritten fueling records that the club kept, the airplane was last refueled on April 11, 2018, with 5.1 gallons. It had been flown once since that time, on April 14, 2018, for a total of 0.57 hour, with an ending tachometer time of 1,333.36 hours. The tachometer reading at the time of the accident was 1,333.47 hours. A review of the fuel records revealed that the airplane used an average of 4 gallons per tachometer hour. The fuel tank capacity was 13 gallons.

Calculations using the weight and balance documentation found in the airplane, FAA records of the pilots' weight, and an assumption of 7 gallons of fuel (based on the pilot's statement to the flight instructor that the tank was half full) indicated that the airplane would have weighed about 1,324 pounds. The maximum gross weight listed in the weight and balance documentation was 1,220 pounds; thus, the airplane weighed 104 pounds more than the maximum gross weight during the accident flight.

The rear seat shoulder harness was installed pursuant to a supplemental type certificate in December 2016.

The airplane impacted a row of trees and rocky terrain at the edge of a field about 1/2 mile from the departure end of the runway and about 300 ft to the left of the extended runway centerline. The airplane came to rest in a near-vertical nose-down attitude with the wings oriented on a magnetic heading of about 250°. Several tree branches were broken directly above the airplane, and no ground scars led toward or away from the main wreckage. The damage to the tree branches in the surrounding area was not consistent with rotating propeller strikes.

Examination of the wreckage revealed that all major components of the airplane were present at the accident site. The nose section and engine were partially separated from the fuselage and displaced to the right and aft. Both wings had leading edge crush damage along their span. The empennage was bent about 40° to the left and aft of the baggage area. The rudder, elevator, and horizontal and vertical stabilizers were mostly intact. Flight control continuity was established from the ailerons and elevator to the rear seat control stick. The elevator moved freely; both ailerons moved with some binding. The main control tube was separated due to fracture between the front and rear control sticks, consistent with bending overload. Flight control continuity was also established from the rudder cables to both rear seat rudder pedals, through a recovery cut in the attachment bracket on the right pedal. All cable ends remained intact. The rudder moved in both directions with some binding.

The fuel tank, firewall, and engine cowling were damaged by impact. Indentations (in the aft direction) in the crankcase nose seal area, directly behind the propeller mounting bolt nuts, were consistent with the size and shape of nuts. The indentations did not exhibit any rotational signatures. Both propeller blades were fractured and splintered in several pieces. One blade was fractured in the aft direction near the root. The other blade had one dent in the metal leading edge about 4 inches from the tip. The spinner was crushed aft with no rotational damage. The magneto switch was in the "both" position, and the fuel control lever was in the "on" position. The fuel valve outlet fitting was separated from the valve due to fracture.

The throttle linkage remained attached at the carburetor. The carburetor heat knob was in the "cold" position. The carburetor heat control cable remained attached to the air intake assembly. The air filter was damaged and unobstructed. The carburetor screen was unobstructed. No fuel was present in the carburetor bowl. The float assembly was intact, and the inlet needle valve functioned normally. Because the carburetor inlet fitting was cracked, during postaccident testing, the carburetor bowl was filled with water. With the carburetor upright and the bowl full, no water leaked out of the broken inlet fitting. When the bowl was about ¾ full, the floats lowered, and water flowed through the inlet fitting.

The fuel tank was crushed and was punctured and torn in several locations. No fuel was present in the tank. The fuel tank outlet fitting was fractured and separated from the tank. The gascolator drain was closed, the inlet fitting was fractured, and the screen was unobstructed. No fuel was present in the gascolator or its outlet fuel line.

Examination of the engine and airframe found no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

The rear seat shoulder harness anchor was found separated from the airframe tubes to which it was clamped. The anchor components were intact, but the upper bracket was bent upward on both sides. Examination of the anchor components revealed sliding marks on the brackets consistent with sliding forward asymmetrically along the airframe tubes, which were oriented triangularly such that they were farther apart looking forward. The harness buckle attachment arms that connected the two shoulder harness straps to the buckle were bent. The right harness buckle arm was bent more than the left harness buckle arm, consistent with asymmetrical loading. The webbing components and stitching of the shoulder harness remained intact. The center bolt, which clamped the brackets together, was found installed upside down (with the bolt head facing up instead of the nut facing up) and, according to the installation specifications, was missing a washer.

The front seat left-side lap belt webbing was separated in two places near its attach point. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed damage consistent with overload.

The Office of the Medical Examiner, County of Orange, Goshen, New York, performed an autopsy of the pilot. The pilot's cause of death was blunt force injuries, including to the head and torso. Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for drugs, ethanol, and carbon monoxide.