Aeronca 11AC accident near Longmont, Colorado, September 29, 2025
On September 29, 2025 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1946 Aeronca 11AC, registered N86326, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Longmont, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate preflight fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot’s improper landing flare which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2025 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Longmont, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 11AC, built 1946 · all 11ACs on the register
- Registration
- N86326 · registry record · serial 11AC-132
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that there was a total loss of engine power while 1,200 feet above ground level and about 6 nautical miles short of his destination. He performed an off-airport landing, in a pasture, with cows at the far end. During short final, the pilot had to maneuver to avoid rough terrain and a fence and then flared the airplane too high and yawed to one side which resulted in a hard landing. The tailwheel collapsed and there was substantial damage to the rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that a miscalculation of fuel quantity and fuel burn led to the fuel exhaustion.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Off-field or emergency landing during approach
- Abrupt maneuver during approach
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Ability to respond/compensate
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Ability to respond/compensate
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,145 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 989 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 5, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,717 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8 (piston); 532 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GXY Greeley CO at 5:20 pm
- Destination: LMO Longmont CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 am from KLMO, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLMO 291755Z AUTO 06003KT 10SM CLR 25/07 A3015
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture 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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 15, 2026. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 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
- N86326 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aeronca 11 Chief 741 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aeronca 3,953 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A65-8 137 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Greeley-Weld County · departed from
- Vance Brand Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 384 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,469 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN25LA403.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.