Aeronca 7FC accident near Somesville, Maine, July 19, 1998
On July 19, 1998 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Aeronca 7FC, registered N7694E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Somesville, Maine (Somes Pond airport). It was a personal 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 inadequate planning and decision, which fail to consider the effect of takeoff in the direction of the sunlight, which resulted in the pilot encountering sunglare and the loss of aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 1998 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Somesville, Maine · Somes Pond
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7FC · all 7FCs on the register
- Registration
- N7694E · registry record · serial 7FC-289
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot began a take off in his float plane from a pond. He said that as the plane lifted off, he was blinded by glare and became disoriented. The pilot attempted to abort the takeoff, lost directional control, and struck a tree on an island in the pond. The pilot reported the airplane had no mechanical deficiencies and the accident could have been avoided by departing in another direction, away from the sun. The pilot reported he had not completed a biennial flight review in 6 years and that 4 years had transpired since his last FAA physical examination.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,334 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 1998; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from BHB, 5 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.
Other NTSB records under N7694E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.