Aeronca C-3 accident near Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania, June 12, 2005
On June 12, 2005 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Aeronca C-3, registered N13002, was substantially damaged in an accident near Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania (New Garden Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the crankshaft, which resulted in a forced landing and subsequent collision with wires. A factor was the wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2005 · about 7:45 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania · New Garden Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca C-3 · all C-3s on the register
- Registration
- N13002 · registry record · serial A217
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the downwind leg of the closed traffic pattern flight, the crankshaft of the 1930's vintage aircraft engine failed aft of the propeller flange. As the propeller continued to rotate independent of the engine, the pilot attempted to return to the airport; however, the tailwheel struck wires, and the airplane impacted the ground.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,700 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aeronca E113 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N57 Toughkenamon PA
- Destination: N57
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,695 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from ILG, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N13002 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aeronca C-3 52 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aeronca 3,953 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Aeronca E113 56 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- New Garden Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 234 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,194 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD05LA076.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.