History of Flight
On October 17, 2019, about 1650 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC Champion airplane, N82308, was substantially damaged when it collided with a truck near Green Bay, Wisconsin. The private pilot and the driver of the vehicle sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot had departed WI78 earlier in the morning and arrived at Brennand Airport (79C), Neenah, Wisconsin, to meet with a mechanic to complete the airplane’s annual inspection. After lunch, the pilot departed 79C for WI78. During their conversation, the pilot mentioned to the mechanic that he was concerned about the wet turf runway at WI78 and preferred to land near the end of the runway.
According to witnesses in vehicles near the accident location and a vehicle dashboard camera, the airplane was flying north less than 5 ft over the county highway adjacent to the end of runway 1. The airplane impacted the front left side of a westbound truck. The airplane remained on top of the truck after the collision, and they both continued off the right side of the road into a ditch, then came to rest in a front yard.
Personnel Information
The pilot’s most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical certificate had expired for all classes on October 31, 2012. The pilot completed the requirements for operation under BasicMed on March 20, 2018.
Aircraft Information
An annual inspection was completed on the airplane earlier on the day of the accident, with no anomalies noted.
Airport Information
An annual inspection was completed on the airplane earlier on the day of the accident, with no anomalies noted. (Note: The source repeats this statement under Airport Information; it is presented here as provided.)
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main wreckage, which comprised the fuselage, wings, and empennage, came to rest on top of the truck, and they both came to rest upright in a front yard. The engine, propeller, engine mount, and cowling were separated from the airplane during the impact sequence and were located in a nearby ditch. The engine assembly came to rest adjacent to a powerline pole. Miscellaneous airplane and truck debris were located on the road and in the ditch on the north side of the road. The airplane’s left and right main landing gear were located in a ditch on the south side of the road. Portions of the airplane windscreen were fragmented and located in the ditch and on the grass runway. The forward fuselage structure was destroyed. The front seat structure remained partially attached to the fuselage, and the front lap belt left attach point was separated from the floor attachment. The lap belt remained latched. No shoulder harnesses were installed. The left and right wings displayed leading edge damage and were bent downward at the fuselage attach points. The empennage and tail surfaces remained relatively undamaged. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit controls to all flight control surfaces.
The truck’s left front windshield post and upper door post were crushed to the right consistent with impact from the airplane’s main landing gear and lower forward fuselage. Several linear and sequential gashes were observed on the front left side of the truck, consistent with propeller slash marks. The driver’s door was removed by rescue personnel. The roadway surface did not show any evidence of tire skid marks from the truck.
A review of the runway surface revealed airplane landing gear tracks from the pilot’s hangar to the departure end of runway 1, consistent with the pilot’s departure earlier that day. The south end of the runway turf condition was soft and wet. The north end of the runway turf condition was dry. A review of the area of the accident site determined that there were no road signs warning drivers of low-flying airplanes over the road.
Medical and Pathological Information
Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected gabapentin in the blood and urine. All brands of gabapentin are used in adults to treat nerve pain caused by the herpes virus or shingles.