History of Flight
On June 21, 2023, at 0719 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7CCM airplane, registration N308ED, was substantially damaged when it crashed near Duluth, Minnesota. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot had completed the annual inspection on the airplane the day before the accident. Family and coworkers reported that the pilot was likely flying to his private airstrip to view the area.
Data from the pilot’s handheld GPS indicated that after departure, the airplane proceeded northeast about 18 nautical miles to the pilot’s private grass airstrip. The airplane approached from the south and entered a left downwind for the east runway. It overflew the runway at about 100 ft above ground level (AGL) and 58 mph groundspeed. Near the departure end of the runway, the airplane climbed and accelerated to 64 mph, then gradually slowed to 54 mph and reached a peak altitude of 240 ft AGL. The airplane then made a descending left turn toward the accident site.
Aircraft Information
The airplane’s maintenance records showed that the annual inspection was signed off by the accident pilot the day before the accident. No outstanding discrepancies were noted in the maintenance logbook entries. The airplane had no electrical system installed.
The most recent weight and balance calculation, dated October 13, 2021, indicated an empty weight of 910 lbs and a maximum gross weight of 1,300 lbs, allowing a useful load of 390 lbs. At the time of the accident, the airplane was about 136 lbs over maximum gross weight, with the center of gravity within an acceptable range. This weight was estimated based on 5 gallons of fuel in the auxiliary fuel tanks. The actual total amount of fuel onboard was unknown because both the main fuel tank and the left auxiliary fuel tank were breached.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in a densely wooded area about 1,500 ft east of the private grass strip. There was no noticeable damage to the surrounding trees or tree canopy. The airplane impacted in a right-wing-low and nose-down attitude. The right wing’s leading edge exhibited accordion crush damage, and the empennage was distorted to the right. The left wing was mostly straight with wrinkling and minimal leading edge damage.
Flight control continuity was established, through overload separations and first responder cuts, from the cockpit controls to the control surfaces. The front and back seats remained attached to their respective fuselage attachment points. Both sets of 3-point harness assemblies remained latched, but the left side of each lap belt was cut during recovery. Both shoulder harness webbings were separated at the Y junctions. All harnesses remained attached to their respective fuselage attachment points.
The main fuel tank and left auxiliary fuel tank were breached and did not contain fuel. Blue aviation gasoline was found pooled in the cockpit area underneath the main tank. The right auxiliary fuel tank contained about 2.5 gallons of aviation gasoline.
The engine and propeller were buried in the ground and remained attached to the airframe. One propeller blade was bent aft about mid-span, and the other blade was relatively straight with no noticeable bending. Both blades exhibited leading edge gouges and chordwise abrasions. At the accident site, underneath the right wing and near the engine, several tree branches exhibited 45° cuts and visible paint transfer from impact with the rotating propeller.
Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.