Aeronca 7AC accident near Taunton, Massachusetts, August 25, 2013
On August 25, 2013 at about 10:15 am local time, a 1946 Aeronca 7AC, registered N83863, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Taunton, Massachusetts (Taunton Municipal airport). It was a personal 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 pilot/owner’s inadequate preflight inspection and inadequate pretakeoff check of the flight controls, which resulted in a takeoff with the rudder gust lock installed. Contributing to the accident was the pilot-rated passenger’s failure to detect that the rudder gust lock was installed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2013 · about 10:15 am local time
- Place
- Taunton, Massachusetts · Taunton Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC, built 1946 · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N83863 · no longer on the register · serial 7AC-2544
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner purchased the airplane about 1 month before the accident and was flying with a pilot-rated passenger who owned a similar model airplane. A witness reported that the airplane accelerated and climbed normally to an altitude of about 50 to 100 feet above the ground. It then entered a slow right turn and began to descend until it impacted the ground and immediately became engulfed in fire. The airplane came to rest in a ditch that was located about 1,100 feet from the beginning of the departure runway and 250 feet to the right of the runway center line. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that a rudder gust lock was installed over the rudder and vertical stabilizer, which prevented movement of the rudder. The control lock was similar to a rudder gust lock that was observed installed on the passenger's airplane. No other discrepancies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane were noted. While it could not be determined who was at the controls of the airplane during the accident flight, both pilots should have noted the installation of the rudder gust lock either during a preflight inspection or during a pretakeoff check of the flight controls.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Gust lock or damper › Inadequate inspection
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Attain/maintain not possible
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Passenger
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,525 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C85 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TAN Taunton MA at 10:15 am
- Destination: TAN Taunton MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 10:59 am from TAN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.