Aeronca 7AC accident near Willow, Alaska, August 6, 2025
On August 6, 2025, a 1946 Aeronca 7AC, registered N84726, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Willow, Alaska (Willow Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2025
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · Willow Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC, built 1946 · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N84726 · registry record · serial 7AC-3432
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 5, 2025, about 1600 Alaska daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC airplane, N84726, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at the Willow Airport (UUO) in Willow, Alaska. The student pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations as a Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was initially discovered by the pilot of an airplane who was flying over the Willow Airport. That pilot then landed to assist the seriously injured student pilot, and alert first responders of the accident location. The accident airplane was situated nosed down, in a near vertical attitude on a northwest heading about 75 feet east of the centerline on runway 13, and about 1,000 feet down the runway (see figure 1). The wings remained partially attached and the tail was bent slightly to the left. Control cable continuity from the ailerons, flaps and rudder were intact to the fuselage, and fuel was observed in the nose tank and fuel lines. The wreckage has been recovered, and an initial postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Additional post-accident wreckage examinations are pending. Figure 1 Accident airplane
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,712 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 25, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 13, 4,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from PAWS, 18 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PAWS 060056Z AUTO VRB05KT 10SM CLR 20/12 A2998 RMK AO2 SLPNO T02000117
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ANC25LA084.