Aeronca S-65-CA accident near Esperance, New York, July 28, 2001
On July 28, 2001 at about 10:42 pm local time, a Aeronca S-65-CA, registered N1049Y, was destroyed in an accident near Esperance, New York (Private Strip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate decision and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance. Contributing factors are a transmission wire and the pilot's intentional low pass.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2001 · about 10:42 pm local time
- Place
- Esperance, New York · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca S-65-CA · all S-65-CAs on the register
- Registration
- N1049Y · registry record · serial CA 13191
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed the grass strip at his home for a local flight. Neighbors said the airplane over-flew their home at treetop level, and then descended over a cliff into a creek bed headed downstream. At the point where the witnesses said the airplane entered the creek bed, the distance from the top of the trees at the edge of the cliff to the surface of the water was about 200 feet. The airplane continued down stream and struck a pair of unmarked, parallel wires suspended approximately 50 feet above the surface of the water. The witnesses said the sound of the engine was smooth and without interruption until the sound of the crash. Examination of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies. Witnesses who lived along the river said the airplane made several low-level passes down the creek in the weeks preceding the accident.
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: 3,080 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 22, 1994
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 762 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 1,253 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A 65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Esperance NY at 10:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from ALB, 25 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 IAD01FA086.