Aeronca 7AC N2923E

Summary

On 29 January 2022 at about 19:00 local time, a Aeronca 7AC registered N2923E was involved in an accident near Cook, Minnesota, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 January 2022 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Cook, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Cook Municipal Airport (CQM)

Coordinates

47.8198, -92.6844

Aircraft

Aeronca 7AC

Registration

N2923E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cook → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA114

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to ensure the snow-covered takeoff area was safe, which resulted in a collision with ice and subsequent landing gear damage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he taxied the ski-equipped airplane to a snow-covered area adjacent to the runway. He made two passes over 8 inches of fresh snow to create a makeshift runway. He then added engine power and started to take off toward the west. At rotation speed he heard and felt a “whack” along with a “bump,” and deceleration. The airplane felt “mushy” as it became airborne, and the pilot leveled the nose to maintain control. The pilot observed the right ski hanging straight down; with the airplane approaching trees, he pushed the nose down and landed in the remaining open area. The airplane slid about 20 ft before it came to rest; its lower fuselage structure sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations. After the accident occurred, the pilot noted that the fresh snow obscured various ice chunks and frozen drifts.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.