History of Flight
On May 5, 2018, about 0905 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N84396, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Randall Airport (06N), Middletown, New York. The pilot was fatally injured, and the flight instructor was seriously injured. The flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight.
According to the flight instructor, the purpose was a flight review for the pilot. The instructor and pilot discussed his currency and medical certificate status, which was valid, and agreed the pilot would be pilot-in-command. The pilot performed a preflight inspection and reported the fuel tank was "slightly more than a half tank." After moving the airplane from the hangar, the instructor handled cockpit duties while the pilot hand-propped the engine. They taxied toward the runway with the pilot in the front seat and instructor in the back. The instructor recalled no further details.
A witness driving on a road near the accident site observed the airplane flying west when it "suddenly went nose down." She stopped, saw the airplane in a wooded area, and called 911.
Personnel Information
According to the pilot's logbook, he had 737 total flight hours, including 11.9 hours in the accident airplane make and model and 2 solo hours in it. His last flight in the accident airplane was on December 4, 2016. He logged about 10 hours in the preceding year, none in the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The tandem two-seat, high-wing airplane was constructed of welded tubes covered by fabric. Wooden wing spars were replaced with aluminum spars in December 2017. Flight and engine controls could be operated from either seat. The airplane had no stall warning system or instruments for the rear seat. It was shared by a flying club.
Handwritten fueling records indicated the airplane was last refueled on April 11, 2018, with 5.1 gallons. It was flown once after that, on April 14, 2018, for 0.57 hour, ending with tachometer time 1,333.36 hours. The tachometer at the accident was 1,333.47 hours. Fuel records showed an average consumption of 4 gallons per tachometer hour. The fuel tank capacity was 13 gallons.
Weight and balance calculations using FAA pilot weights and an assumed 7 gallons of fuel (based on the pilot's statement of half a tank) indicated the airplane weighed about 1,324 pounds, exceeding the maximum gross weight of 1,220 pounds by 104 pounds.
The rear seat shoulder harness was installed per a supplemental type certificate in December 2016.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a row of trees and rocky terrain at the edge of a field about 1/2 mile from the departure end of the runway and about 300 ft left of the extended runway centerline. It came to rest in a near-vertical nose-down attitude with wings oriented about 250° magnetic. Broken tree branches were directly above; no ground scars led to or from the wreckage. The tree damage was not consistent with rotating propeller strikes.
All major components were present. The nose section and engine were partially separated and displaced right and aft. Both wings had leading edge crush damage. The empennage was bent about 40° left and aft of the baggage area. Rudder, elevator, and stabilizers were mostly intact. Flight control continuity was established from ailerons and elevator to the rear seat control stick. The elevator moved freely; both ailerons moved with some binding. The main control tube was fractured between the front and rear sticks, consistent with bending overload. Rudder cable continuity was established to both rear rudder pedals, through a recovery cut on the right pedal bracket. Cable ends were intact; rudder moved in both directions with some binding.
The fuel tank, firewall, and engine cowling were impact-damaged. Indentations in the crankcase nose seal area behind the propeller mounting bolt nuts matched the nuts' size and shape, with no rotational signatures. Both propeller blades were fractured and splintered; one blade was fractured aft near the root, the other had a dent in the metal leading edge about 4 inches from the tip. The spinner was crushed aft without rotational damage. The magneto switch was in the "both" position, and the fuel control lever was in the "on" position. The fuel valve outlet fitting was fractured from the valve.
Throttle linkage remained attached at the carburetor. The carburetor heat knob was in the "cold" position. The carburetor heat control cable remained attached. The air filter was damaged and unobstructed; the carburetor screen was unobstructed. No fuel was in the carburetor bowl. The float assembly was intact, and the inlet needle valve functioned normally. During postaccident testing, with the carburetor upright and bowl full of water, no water leaked from the cracked inlet fitting until the bowl was about ¾ full.
The fuel tank was crushed, punctured, and torn; no fuel was present. The tank outlet fitting was fractured. The gascolator drain was closed, inlet fitting fractured, screen unobstructed. No fuel was in the gascolator or its outlet line.
Examination found no preimpact anomalies precluding normal operation.
The rear seat shoulder harness anchor was separated from the airframe tubes. The anchor components were intact, but the upper bracket was bent upward on both sides. Sliding marks on the brackets were consistent with forward asymmetrical sliding along the triangular tubes. The harness buckle attachment arms were bent; the right arm was bent more than the left. The webbing and stitching remained intact. The center bolt was installed upside down (head up instead of nut) and, per specifications, was missing a washer.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Office of the Medical Examiner, County of Orange, New York, performed an autopsy; the pilot's cause of death was blunt force injuries, including to the head and torso. Toxicology testing by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for drugs, ethanol, and carbon monoxide.