No fatalities

7 Aug 2009: AERONCA 7AC — BOWERS JAMES H — Broadus, MT

Broadus, MT, United States

On 7 Aug 2009, an AERONCA 7AC operated by BOWERS JAMES H was involved in an aviation accident near Broadus, MT. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during low altitude maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported that while executing a descending right turn at slow airspeed to inspect livestock, the right wing stalled and the airplane impacted terrain, resulting in structural damage.

Accident Summary

A pilot described an accident that occurred while maneuvering at low altitude. The pilot had initiated a descending right turn at a slow airspeed to check on livestock. During the turn, the pilot added power to arrest the descent rate. At that moment, the pilot felt the right wing stall, and the airplane subsequently impacted the terrain.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there was no time to recover from the stall due to the low altitude. The pilot also reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane or its flight control systems prior to the accident.

Damage Inspection

After the accident, the pilot examined the airplane and observed structural damage to the right wing, fuselage, and empennage.

Contributing factors

Airspeed — Not attained/maintainedPilot