Aeronca 11BC accident near Durango, Colorado, February 3, 1991
On February 3, 1991 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Aeronca 11BC, registered N9713E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Durango, Colorado (Animas Airpark airport). 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 FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN AIRPLANE TYPE AND CROSSWIND CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 1991 · about 10:45 pm local time · cases in 1991
- Place
- Durango, Colorado · Animas Airpark · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 11BC · all 11BCs on the register
- Registration
- N9713E · registry record · serial 11AC-1354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REJECTED ONE LANDING ATTEMPT BECAUSE THE APPROACH WAS TOO HIGH AND TOUCHDOWN ON THE 5000-FEET RUNWAY WAS MADE AT ABOUT THE 3000-FEET POINT. THE PILOT NOTED A 6-KNOT CROSSWIND AND SOME TURBULENCE. ON HIS SECOND LANDING ATTEMPT, THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED ONCE, SETTLED TO THE RUNWAY, THEN BEGAN DRIFTING TO THE LEFT. THE PILOT CORRECTED WITH RIGHT RUDDER, AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT. AIRPLANE STRUCK A SNOW BANK ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT SAID HE HAD LANDED AT THIS AIRPORT BEFORE, BUT THIS WAS HIS FIRST ATTEMPT IN THE AERONCA 11BC. HE SAID HE HAD LMITED EXPERIENCE IN AIRPLANES EQUIPPED WITH A CONVENTIONAL LANDING GEAR, AND EVEN LESS EXPERIENCE IN THE AERONCA 11BC (27.6 HOURS).
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 293 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 74 in the last 30 days; 244 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 5,000 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from DRO, 7 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9713E 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 C-85-12 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Windy Plains Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,857 since 1982 · 381 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,455 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN91LA027.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.