Aeronca AR-58-058B accident near Brattleboro, Vermont, April 28, 2003
On April 28, 2003 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Aeronca AR-58-058B, registered N46183, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brattleboro, Vermont (Moores Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and a subsequent descent into trees. A factor in the accident was the downdrafts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brattleboro, Vermont · Moores Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca AR-58-058B
- Registration
- N46183 · registry record · serial 658B10483
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during an initial climbout from a 1,700-foot grass airstrip, at an altitude of about 200 feet, a "gust of wind" forced the airplane downward. The pilot was unable to continue the climb, so he initiated a turn to the left, and the airplane subsequently "stalled into the trees." A witness reported that the airplane "lost lift" over a sandpit, an area where local pilots expected downdrafts. The accident pilot had never departed over the sandpit before.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 494 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 462 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VT41 Brattleboro VT
- Destination: Brattleboro VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 1,800 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from VSF, 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.
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.