Accident
On February 1, 2009, at approximately 1530 eastern standard time, an Aeronca 7AC, registration N3066E, was substantially damaged during a precautionary landing in a cotton field near Cameron, South Carolina. The certificated commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
Aircraft and Pilot
The aircraft had departed Owens Field (CUB) in Columbia, South Carolina, earlier that day. The pilot reported that he had been flying for about 1 hour at an altitude of 800 feet mean sea level when the engine began to run rough. He elected to perform an off-airport precautionary landing to a nearby cotton field. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall and vertical stabilizer. The pilot stated that he did not recall the engine rpm and did not use the carburetor heat control after experiencing the roughness. He further noted that he had departed with 13 gallons of fuel, which he had checked prior to takeoff and found free of contamination.
Investigation
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed no preimpact malfunctions. The engine was started and test-run with no anomalies detected. The aircraft had been operated for about 15 hours since its most recent annual inspection, performed on December 20, 2008. The pilot reported a total flight experience of 800 hours, including approximately 200 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Atmospheric Conditions
A weather observation taken at 1553 from an airport approximately 30 miles southeast of the accident site reported: wind from 200 degrees at 11 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky clear; temperature 16 degrees Celsius; dew point -4 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.15 inches of mercury. According to the carburetor icing chart in the FAA publication Winter Flying Tips (P-8740-24), these atmospheric conditions were not conducive to the formation of carburetor ice.