Aeronca 7AC accident near Sheridan, Arkansas, May 20, 1998
On May 20, 1998, a Aeronca 7AC, registered N3504E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sheridan, Arkansas (Sheridan Muni. Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent engine start due to the pilot's failure to ensure that the magneto switch was in the OFF position when he was attempting to clear the flooded engine. A factor was the pilot's improper starting procedure, which resulted in flooding the engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 1998
- Place
- Sheridan, Arkansas · Sheridan Muni. Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7AC · all 7ACs on the register
- Registration
- N3504E · registry record · serial 6877
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with trees following an inadvertent engine start. The pilot stated that the tandem airplane was positioned on a taxiway with the right wheel chocked and his wife seated in the rear seat with her seatbelt fastened. The pilot attempted to start the engine by 'hand propping' several times, but was not successful. He thought that he had 'flooded' the engine and decided to clear the engine by turning the propeller again with the magento OFF, fuel valve CLOSED, and throttle FULL OPEN. The pilot thinks he mistakenly turned the magneto ON, which resulted in the engine starting when he began turning the propeller.
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
- Flight time: 480 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 428 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,879 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 28, 1997; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9M8
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from PBF, 24 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.
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.