Aeronca C3 accident near Ocean City, Maryland, May 28, 1983
On May 28, 1983 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Aeronca C3, registered N16270, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1983 · about 1:30 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Ocean City, Maryland · Ocean · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca C3 · all C3s on the register
- Registration
- N16270 · no longer on the register · serial 655
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 150 FT AGL AFTER TAKEOFF THE ACFT STALLED. THE PLT PREVIOUSLY HAD AN ACCIDENT WITH THE ACFT ON 6/13/82. SINCE THAT DATE HE HAD RECORDED 17 HRS OF FLT TIME WITH LESS THAN 1 HR IN A J-3 CUB. THE J-3 IS SIMILAR TO THE AERONCA C3 IN SIZE BUT WITH TWICE AS MUCH HORSEPOWER.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,084 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 878 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 22, 1983; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,006 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aeronca E-113-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:30 pm from 80
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.
Other NTSB records under N16270 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N16270: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Aeronca C-3 52 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aeronca 3,953 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Aeronca E-113-C 1 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 837 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,355 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N16270 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL83LA203.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.