Incident Overview
On August 22, 2020, at approximately 1735 eastern daylight time, an Aeronca 11AC airplane (registration N86602) was substantially damaged during an accident near Nebo, North Carolina. The pilot, who was operating the aircraft as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, sustained minor injuries.
Flight Details
The pilot had been hired to transport the airplane to another state. Prior to departure, he filled the main and auxiliary fuel tanks to capacity, though a gallon of fuel was spilled during the process. The flight began using fuel from the 15-gallon main tank. About 45 minutes into the flight, the engine began to run rough, and the pilot noticed a strong odor of fuel in the cockpit. He applied carburetor heat and pumped the throttle several times, but the issue persisted. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot executed a forced landing onto a busy highway. During the landing, the engine lost total power, and after touchdown, the airplane struck a guardrail, causing substantial damage to the airframe.
Post-Accident Examination
Examination of the airplane's fuel system revealed that the main fuel tank was intact but empty of fuel. Approximately 3.5 gallons of fuel were drained from the aft tank. The fuel system was configured so that the aft tank gravity-fed fuel to the forward tank through the cockpit fuel selector valve, while the forward tank supplied fuel directly to the engine. When the fuel selector valve was set to the ON position, fuel could flow from the aft tank to the forward tank by gravity.
The main tank, located between the cockpit and engine firewall, was visually inspected with a flashlight; no obvious anomalies were noted inside, and the fuel finger screen was clean. When fuel was added to the tank to check for leaks, a considerable leak was immediately observed at the lower left-hand seam of the tank. Blue fuel stains were also present around the leak area. Inspection of the remainder of the fuel system revealed no other anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.