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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1996 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Morgantown, West Virginia · Morgantown Municipal
- 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 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 IAD96LA099.