Aeronca 11AC accident near Nebo, North Carolina, August 22, 2020
On August 22, 2020 at about 9:35 pm local time, a 1946 Aeronca 11AC, registered N86002, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Nebo, North Carolina. 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A leak in the main fuel tank that resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 2020 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Nebo, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 11AC No Series, built 1946 · all 11ACs on the register
- Registration
- N86002 · no longer on the register · serial 11AC-421
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was hired to transport the airplane to another state. Prior to departure, both the main and auxiliary fuel tanks were topped with fuel (minus 1 gallon) and the pilot departed using fuel from just the main tank. About 45 minutes into the flight, the engine began to run rough, and the pilot reported smelling a strong odor of fuel in the cockpit. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and performed a forced landing to a highway. The airplane was substantially damaged during the landing. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s fuel system revealed the main tank, which was gravity-fed from the aft fuel tank, was intact and empty of fuel. About 3.5 gallons of fuel was emptied from the aft tank. When fuel was added to the main tank, fuel was immediately observed to be leaking from the lower left-hand seam of the tank. Blue fuel stains were also observed around the area of the leak. The accident is consistent with the engine losing power due to fuel starvation as a result of a leak in the main fuel tank.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Fuel related during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel storage › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 21, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,054 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors A65-8 (piston); 2,054 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SVH Statesville NC at 9:00 pm
- Destination: GLY Clinton MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 9:35 pm from MRN, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on September 15, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Fuel Receipt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | NTSB Video of Main Fuel Tank Leak | video | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.