Aeronca L-3B accident near Morgantown, West Virginia, June 16, 1996
On June 16, 1996 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Aeronca L-3B, registered N46634, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morgantown, West Virginia (Morgantown Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadequate maintenance/annual inspection and failure of the muffler which resulted in melted insulation on the magneto 'P' leads and subsequent loss of engine power. A related factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1996 · about 4:30 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Morgantown, West Virginia · Morgantown Municipal · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca L-3B · all L-3Bs on the register
- Registration
- N46634 · registry record · serial 12883
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that she had been practicing touch-and-go landings on runway 18 for about 40 minutes, when she began to smell '...something burning.' She estimated the airplane was about 100 to 200 feet agl and about one mile from the runway when she began to smell the odor. She attempted to land on runway 36, but the engine lost power completely. The pilot indicated that there wasn't enough altitude to glide to the runway, so she landed in a small field, and the airplane impacted a wood building during the landing roll. Postaccident examination revealed a hole in the muffler shroud and muffler tube, and melted insulation from both magneto 'P' leads, in the vicinity of the muffler hole. The FAA Inspector stated that after 'disconnecting the 'P' lead, the left magneto delivered normal spark to all four cylinders.' Airplane records indicate that the most recent maintenance inspection was an annual inspection, dated May 15, 1995, 13 months before the accident. The airplane had flown 7.7 hours since that inspection.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,485 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 1,198 as pilot in command; 776 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,798 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1995; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,260 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGW WV at 4:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:30 pm from MGW
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N46634 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Aeronca L-3 10 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Aeronca 3,953 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A-65 33 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Morgantown Muni/Walter L Bill Hart Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in West Virginia 424 since 1982 · 54 in the last ten years
- West Virginia 884 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD96LA099.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.