Aeronca 7AC accident near Austell, Georgia, October 29, 1988
On October 29, 1988 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Aeronca 7AC, registered N83045, was substantially damaged in an accident near Austell, Georgia (Walker Strip airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1988 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Austell, Georgia · Walker Strip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N83045 · no longer on the register · serial 7AC-1701
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PIC WAS OBTAINING BFR; STALLS & FLT AT MIN CONTROL AIRSPEED WERE COMPLETED. PIC BEGAN DESCENT FROM 2500 MSL TO HIS PVT STRIP FOR SIMULATED ENGINE OUT LANDING. IN A SUBSEQUENT INTERVIEW PIC SAID CARB HEAT WAS APPLIED & REMOVED AFTER 30 SEC. IN HIS RPT HE SAID CARB HEAT WAS REMOVED WHEN INSTRUCTOR SAID MANEUVER WAS COMPLETED. ON BASE LEG INSTRUCTOR INDICATED MANEUVER HAD BEEN COMPLETED. PIC APPLIED POWER TO 1700 RPM, THEN 1800 RPM, & FLEW OVR RWY 33 AT 2,300 FEET AGL. WHEN POWER WAS APPLIED TO CLIMB, ENGINE SPUTTERED & LOST POWER. PIC MADE A 270 DEGREE TURN TO LEFT TO ATTEMPT TO LAND IN A LAND FILL. AFTER ABOUT 200 DEGREES OF TURN THE NOSE OF THE ACFT YAWED RIGHT. THE ACFT STALLED AND IMPACTED IN A CUDZU PATCH ADJACENT TO RWY. BOTH PILOTS STATED THAT THE BFR HAD BEEN COMPLETED AND THAT THE PILOT/OWNER WAS THE PIC.
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: 181 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 133 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,386 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 21, 1988; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FTY Atlanta GA at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 1,200 ft by 30 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:38 pm from FTY, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.