Aeronca 11AC accident near Chugiak, Alaska, April 8, 1990
On April 8, 1990 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Aeronca 11AC, registered N86060, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chugiak, Alaska (Birchwood airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT GROUND SWERVE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE CROSSWIND AND SNOW COVERED TERRAIN BESIDE THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 1990 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chugiak, Alaska · Birchwood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 11AC · all 11ACs on the register
- Registration
- N86060 · registry record · serial 11AC-481
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE PLT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE ACFT DURING A LANDING ON RWY 19. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT SWERVED ONTO SNOW COVERED TERRAIN BESIDE THE RWY & CAME TO REST ON ITS NOSE WITH DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING. THE WIND WAS RPRTD TO BE FROM 270 DEG AT 8 KTS.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,460 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1989; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z15 at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,010 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.