On September 7, 1990, an Aeronca 7AC (registration N84941) operated by Aasgard, Lewis was involved in an aviation accident near Trona, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED AND AN ABRUPT MANUEVER WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL AND SPIN. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LOW ALTITUDE OF THE AIRPLANE WHICH DID NOT ALLOW ADEQUATE TIME TO PERFORM THE NECESSARY REMEDIAL ACTIONS. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Eyewitnesses report an aircraft pulling up sharply before entering a right turn at insufficient speed and altitude, resulting in a stall and partial spin.
What happened
A witness observed the airplane execute a sharp pull-up maneuver. Following this initial action, the aircraft was seen entering a right turn. According to the observers, the airplane was operating at an altitude and airspeed that were too low for the phase of flight. Consequently, the aircraft stalled while completing the turn. The witness further indicated that the airplane spun approximately three-quarters of a revolution before descending out of sight.
Findings
The primary factors contributing to the incident involved the operational parameters during the maneuver. The aircraft was determined to be too low and too slow when the stall occurred. This loss of control resulted in a spin prior to the final descent.