Amateur-built MORONCA accident near Burgaw, North Carolina, March 5, 2009
On March 5, 2009 at about 5:20 pm local time, a amateur-built MORONCA, registered N404AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Burgaw, North Carolina (Stag Air Park airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to fuel contamination as a result of the pilot's operation of the airplane with a deteriorated fuel tank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2009 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Burgaw, North Carolina · Stag Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MORONCA
- Registration
- N404AF · registry record · serial 005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness reported hearing an airplane’s engine sputter before hearing the crash. The airplane appeared to have clipped trees on its descent to the field, impacted the ground nose first, and bounced once to its final resting place. A postcrash examination found small particle contaminants in the airplane’s fuel system. The interior of the tank was found to be deteriorating and flaking apart. The amateur-built airplane was issued an experimental airworthiness certificate on April 12, 2008. The fuselage was primarily Aeronca with the wings and landing gear system designed by the owner/pilot. The airplane had accumulated a total of 47.21 hours since the time it was built. Its last inspection, a conditional, took place on November 28, 2008 and the airplane flew seven hours between that inspection and the time of the accident. Six weeks prior to the accident the pilot had reported that the airplane’s engine had cut out. The pilot told his friend he found some debris in the fuel tank and that he would “keep an eye on it.” The cross bar, to which the pilot’s shoulder harness was secured, separated from the airframe at impact.
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
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Fuel contamination during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel storage › Damaged/degraded
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,658 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 47 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 28, 2008; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7NC1 Burgaw NC at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 7NC1 Burgaw NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.50 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from ILM, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.