Accident Overview
On June 16, 2010, at approximately 1315 eastern daylight time, a privately operated Aeronca 7AC, registration N84362, was substantially damaged in a forced landing near Kaolin Field Airport (OKZ) in Sandersville, Georgia. The pilot, who owned the aircraft, sustained minor injuries. The flight operated under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan in visual meteorological conditions.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and a third-class medical certificate issued on June 6, 2006. He reported 125 total flight hours, with 40 hours in the accident airplane. The aircraft, manufactured in 1946, was a high-wing, two-place monoplane with metal tube and fabric construction and fixed tailwheel landing gear. It was equipped with a 100-horsepower Teledyne Continental Motors O-200 engine. The pilot had registered the airplane on January 19, 2010.
Flight Details
The flight originated from Berkeley County Airport (MKS) in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, around 1100, with a planned destination of Middle Georgia Regional Airport (MCN) in Macon, Georgia. Earlier that day, the pilot had taken his nephew on a short local flight. He performed an engine run-up before that flight, noting a normal response when applying and removing carburetor heat. After landing, he topped off the fuel tanks at MKS and waited about 20 minutes before taking a fuel sample, which showed no water or debris. No discrepancies were noted during the subsequent run-up.
During the en route portion, the pilot attempted to communicate with air traffic control and on common advisory frequencies but could only receive transmissions, not transmit. Because MCN was tower-controlled, he decided to divert to the non-tower-controlled OKZ.
Loss of Engine Power
About 2.5 miles from OKZ, the pilot began descending to traffic pattern altitude. He reduced engine power to 1,500 rpm and applied carburetor heat. The engine then ran down past 700 rpm. Removing carburetor heat and adding power caused the engine to sputter and quit, with the propeller stopping. Several restart attempts were unsuccessful. The pilot conducted a forced landing to a field, where the airplane landed hard, bounced multiple times, struck a berm, and came to rest on a road approximately one-quarter mile from the end of runway 31.
Examination and Testing
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane after it was moved to the airport. Substantial damage was noted to the engine firewall, wing struts, and fuselage. The header fuel tank contained about 8.5 gallons of uncontaminated fuel, but the gascolator and carburetor were inaccessible. On June 29, 2010, an engine test run was conducted under FAA supervision using fuel from the header tank, plumbed forward of the damaged gascolator. The engine started without hesitation and ran smoothly at 700-800 rpm for about 10 minutes; the test stand's fragility precluded higher power settings. No anomalies were observed during the test.
Weather Conditions
The 1253 weather observation at MCN reported winds from 310 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies below 10,000 feet, temperature 29°C, dew point 23°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.12 inches of mercury. According to FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35, the temperature and dew point at the time were favorable for serious carburetor icing at glide power settings.