Aeronca 15AC accident near Pontiac, Michigan, December 23, 2016
On December 23, 2016 at about 9:18 pm local time, a 1949 Aeronca 15AC, registered N1337H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Pontiac, Michigan (Oakland County International A 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 improper installation of the left wheel brake torque plate by maintenance personnel, which resulted in the separation of the torque plate from the axle endplate and a loss of directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 2016 · about 9:18 pm local time · cases in 2016
- Place
- Pontiac, Michigan · Oakland County International A · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 15AC, built 1949 · all 15ACs on the register
- Registration
- N1337H · no longer on the register · serial 15AC-377
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was concluding a local flight in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. After numerous uneventful touch-and-go landings, the pilot attempted a full-stop landing when the airplane suddenly swerved to the left shortly after touchdown. The pilot attempted to regain directional control by applying right rudder and increasing engine power for an aborted landing; however, the airplane swerved to the right and collided with a snowbank next to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both main wing spars and the rudder. A postaccident examination revealed that the left wheel brake torque plate had separated from the landing gear axle endplate, which allowed the brake assembly to rotate with the brake disk that was attached to the wheel. The airplane had been modified with Cleveland wheels and brakes through a supplemental type certificate (STC). However, additional examination of the brake torque plates revealed that they had not been installed in accordance with the STC installation instructions. Specifically, the torque plates were not modified with two 0.25-inch holes that were required to ensure proper alignment with the landing gear axle endplate, and improperly sized bushings had been used during the installation. The improper torque plate installation allowed for movement of the torque plate and unintended transverse loading of the anchor bolts, which resulted in the fracture of the anchor bolts that secured the left brake torque plate to the axle endplate. The failure of the left brake likely caused the loss of directional control during landing.
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Incorrect service/maintenance other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Modification/alteration › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Snow/ice › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 342 hours in all; 205 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 253 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 30, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,380 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 14, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTK Pontiac MI at 8:00 pm
- Destination: PTK Pontiac MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27R, 5,676 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from PTK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on November 8, 2019. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Conversation (Cranston Jones) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Conversation (Richard Anderson) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Email Correspondence (Richard Anderson) | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Installation Instructions and Drawing (STC SA1114NW) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Airframe Logbook (Excerpts) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | 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
- N1337H: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Aeronca 15 162 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aeronca 3,953 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Oakland County International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Michigan 2,107 since 1982 · 230 in the last ten years
- Michigan 7,236 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN17LA070.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.