Aeronca 7AC accident near Kenosha, Wisconsin, August 30, 1987
On August 30, 1987 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Aeronca 7AC, registered N3406E, was destroyed in an accident near Kenosha, Wisconsin (Kenosha Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1987 · about 4:10 pm local time
- Place
- Kenosha, Wisconsin · Kenosha Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N3406E · no longer on the register · serial 7AC-6819
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON FINAL APPROACH FOR LANDING DURING A DUAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO PITCH UP, THEN ENTER A NOSE DOWN, RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE WHICH IT MAINTAINED UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE GROUND. WITNESSES, INCLUDING ANOTHER CFI WHO HAD LANDED APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, REPORTED STRONG, GUSTY WINDS AND TURBULENCE IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,967 hours in all; 129 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 2,774 as pilot in command; 357 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,661 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1987; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aeroplanes, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 20 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from MKE, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.