Aeronca 7DC accident near Elgin, South Carolina, April 16, 1992
On April 16, 1992 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Aeronca 7DC, registered N2901E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elgin, South Carolina. 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
THE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED SPARK PLUG BY AN UNKNOWN PERSON. THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR A FORCED LANDING WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1992 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 1992
- Place
- Elgin, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7DC · all 7DCs on the register
- Registration
- N2901E · registry record · serial 7AC-6484
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND LANDED IN A FIELD. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE TOP SPARK PLUG IN THE NUMBER 2 CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE CYLINDER. IT REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE DISTRIBUTOR WIRE.
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: 1,400 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 1,375 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,093 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1991; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CUB Columbia SC at 10:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from CAE, 5 miles away
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2901E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aeronca 7 Champion (Champ) 2,355 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aeronca 3,953 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C85F 4,672 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Jim Hamilton L B Owens Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,036 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,115 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL92LA081.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.