Aeronca 65-TAC (L-3) accident near Dalton, Georgia, September 16, 1998
On September 16, 1998 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Aeronca 65-TAC (L-3), registered N39309, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dalton, Georgia (Dalton Municipal 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
The pilots failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the same make and model airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 1998 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dalton, Georgia · Dalton Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 65-TAC (L-3) 65-TAC (L- · all 65-TAC (L-3)s on the register
- Registration
- N39309 · registry record · serial C3072TA
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a landing on runway 32, the airplane veered off the runway to the right, continued down an embankment, then nosed over inverted. Post crash examination of the airplane revealed the right tail wheel castering spring was absent, which the pilot believed resulted in the loss of control. The airport manager noted that the skid marks on the runway indicated a gradual right turn shortly after touchdown, with the left main tire mark three times wider than the right, and the tail wheel skid mark occurring about 15 feet northwest of the main tire marks. He stated that a loss of the right castering spring would have resulted in the airplane veering to the left. The pilot had 128 total flight hours with six hours in the same make and model airplane. There was a four knot cross wind from 030 degrees.
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: 129 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 55 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,692 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1998; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RVN Hawkins County TN at 2:15 pm
- Destination: AAP Houston TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:44 pm from DNN
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.