Aeronca S11AC accident near Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, August 10, 2014
On August 10, 2014 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1947 Aeronca S11AC, registered N4240E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Boulder Junction, Wisconsin (Boulder Junction Payzer Airpor 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 pilot’s improper runway selection, which resulted in a tailwind landing, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2014 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Boulder Junction, Wisconsin · Boulder Junction Payzer Airpor · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca S11AC, built 1947 · all S11ACs on the register
- Registration
- N4240E · no longer on the register · serial 11AC-S97
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported observing the tailwheel-equipped airplane land; the airplane landed on runway 5. At the beginning of the landing roll, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway and impacted trees. At the time of the accident, the wind was from the south-southwest at 3 knots with gusts to 10 knots; therefore, a gusting tailwind prevailed for the landing runway at the time of the accident. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during approach
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,538 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ralph MI
- Destination: BDJ Boulder Junction WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 3,170 ft by 165 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from KD25, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 11, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record of Correspondence - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4240E: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Aeronca S11 9 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aeronca 3,953 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-200A 296 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Boulder Junction Payzer Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Wisconsin 1,622 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Wisconsin 6,164 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN14LA431.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.