Aeronca 11AC accident near Kodiak, Alaska, July 6, 2013
On July 6, 2013 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Aeronca 11AC, registered N9118E, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Kodiak, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and the pilot's failure to continue the use of carburetor heat after experiencing carburetor ice.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 2013 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Kodiak, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 11AC · all 11ACs on the register
- Registration
- N9118E · registry record · serial 11AC-753
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying a potential buyer of the airplane on a pre-buy inspection flight. Just after leveling the airplane in cruise flight, the engine lost power momentarily. He applied carburetor heat, and the engine regained normal power. While returning to the airport, he turned the carburetor heat back off, and then on again, and the engine again lost power. He stated that this time, the engine power could not be restored, and with no suitable landing sites available within gliding distance, he ditched the airplane into the water paralleling the shoreline. During the ditching, the airplane nosed over, and sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Based on the temperature and dew point at the time of the accident, the conditions were favorable for serious carburetor icing at any power setting.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Ditching during emergency descent
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 176 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 23, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,086 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 2012; 4 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-235-C-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAKD Kodiak AK at 5:15 pm
- Destination: PAKD Kodiak AK
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft; a few clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PADQ, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC13CA062.