Aeronca 11AC accident near Wallace, North Carolina, October 21, 1985
On October 21, 1985 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Aeronca 11AC, registered N86097, was destroyed in an accident near Wallace, North Carolina (Unnamed airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 1985 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wallace, North Carolina · Unnamed · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 11AC · all 11ACs on the register
- Registration
- N86097 · no longer on the register · serial 523
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL DURING INITIAL TAKEOFF CLIMB. THE PLT REPORTED THAT AFTER CLEARING TREES AT AN ALT OF APRX 200 FT THE ACFT DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT. THE TAIL OF THE ACFT THEN ROSE PUSHING THE NOSE DOWN UNTIL THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, THE WINDS WERE STRONG AND GUSTY DURING THE DAY BUT HAD SUBSIDED PRIOR TO THE TAKEOFF.
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
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 2,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,780 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1985; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: ACZ Wallace NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°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.