Aeronca 7AC N85798

Summary

On 8 September 1998 at about 12:15 local time, a Aeronca 7AC registered N85798 was involved in an accident near Kaufman, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 September 1998 at 12:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Kaufman, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Private Strip (PVT)

Coordinates

32.5802, -96.2993

Aircraft

Aeronca 7AC

Registration

N85798

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Terrell → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA388

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude and clearance of obstructions during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During takeoff from a 1,700 foot grass runway, the tailwheel equipped airplane struck a 3 foot high barbed wire fence that was perpendicular to the departure end of the runway. The pilot then intentionally 'turned' the airplane to avoid hitting an adjacent line of trees. As the airplane came to a stop, the pilot and passenger exited, and a fire erupted which destroyed the aircraft. The pilot reported that the winds were calm at the time of the accident and that the aircraft operated normally during a brief flight earlier in the day. A normal engine run up was performed prior to the attempted take off.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.