AERONCA 7AC — Fort Worth, TX

What happened

The pilot and passenger were departing on a local flight. One witness, a flight instructor, described the takeoff roll as “extra-long” and stated that the airplane “appeared to get slow” during the initial climb. He reported that the airplane started a “roll to the right,” the left wing “fell,” and the airplane stalled and entered a spin from about 100 ft above ground level (agl). A second witness reported that, during the takeoff, the airplane appeared to be “barely climbing.” Near the end of the runway, about 100 ft agl, he observed a “strong right yaw” followed by a gradual left turn. The pilot appeared to lower the nose, then the airplane “rolled hard left,” and entered a spin.

The airplane came to rest about 1,100 ft southeast of the departure end of the runway. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

A review of weight and balance information showed that the airplane was likely 225 lbs over its maximum takeoff weight at the time of the accident. Additionally, the density altitude at the time of the accident was about 2,600 ft. Both the overweight condition of the airplane and the density altitude conditions would have resulted in a significant loss of airplane performance, which is consistent with the witness observations of a long takeoff roll and slow rate of climb. It is likely that, during the initial climb, the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at an altitude too low for recovery.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.