Aeronca 0-58A accident near Westmoreland, Tennessee, October 9, 2011
On October 9, 2011 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Aeronca 0-58A, registered N46513, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Westmoreland, Tennessee (Private Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and failure to maintain clearance from an obstacle during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2011 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Westmoreland, Tennessee · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 0-58A · all 0-58As on the register
- Registration
- N46513 · registry record · serial 42-7798
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was taking off from a private airstrip; as he was looking at a hay bale to the left of the airplane, the right wing tip struck another hay bale. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the airframe and the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions during the flight.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,695 hours in all; 622 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,586 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 22, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,815 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2009; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,293 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Westmoreland TN at 8:00 pm
- Destination: Westmoreland TN
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 36, 2,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from BWG, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N46513 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA12CA022.