What happened
On September 16, 2008, a solo private pilot was performing an off-airport landing near Fairbanks, Alaska. During the landing sequence, the tailwheel assembly of the Aeronca 15AC, registration N1170H, struck a tree trunk. The impact caused structural damage to the aircraft's empennage. There were no injuries resulting from the event.
The pilot reported that the aircraft was functioning normally and experienced no mechanical issues prior to the accident. The weather conditions at the time were Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC).