Aeronca 11AC accident near Cynthiana, Kentucky, February 17, 1996
On February 17, 1996 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Aeronca 11AC, registered CFLBW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cynthiana, Kentucky (Cynthiana Harrison County airport). It was a ferry 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
The pilot's failure to obtain proper assistance to secure the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1996 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Cynthiana, Kentucky · Cynthiana Harrison County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 11AC · all 11ACs on the register
- Registration
- CFLBW · no longer on the register · serial 11AC-869
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the airplane, which was manufactured in 1946, did not have an electrical starting system, so he attempted to start the engine by hand propping it. The pilot reported that a local gentleman held the tail of the airplane to secure it during the engine start-up. When he rotated the propeller by hand to start the engine, the engine idled for a few seconds, '...then roared up.' The airplane began to accelerate forward and impacted a cement pillar and a fuel pump. The pilot and the gentleman holding the tail were unable to control the airplane.
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: 226 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 143 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 2, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from LEX, 25 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.
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.