Aeronca O-58B accident near Alexandria, Indiana, June 8, 2002
On June 8, 2002 at about 5:11 pm local time, a Aeronca O-58B, registered N46899, was destroyed in an accident near Alexandria, Indiana (Alexandria airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall. A factor was the low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2002 · about 5:11 pm local time
- Place
- Alexandria, Indiana · Alexandria · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca O-58B
- Registration
- N46899 · registry record · serial O58B-4502
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted terrain 20-30 feet from the side of the landing runway while the pilot was initiating a left hand turn during the downwind segment of the visual approach. The passenger stated that the airplane's left wing dropped and the nose pitched down during the turn. Ground scarring was limited to an area near the main wreckage, which exhibited a nose down crush angle with no lateral bending of the empennage. No mechanical anomalies were noted.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,860 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 18, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,353.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2002; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HHG Huntington IN at 4:00 pm
- Destination: I99 Alexandria IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,591 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MIE, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.