Aeronca 7DC accident near Payson, Arizona, July 16, 2000
On July 16, 2000 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Aeronca 7DC, registered N4462E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Payson, Arizona. 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 selection of an unsuitable takeoff area. Contributing factors were the high density altitude and proximity to vegetation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2000 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Payson, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7DC · all 7DCs on the register
- Registration
- N4462E · registry record · serial 7DC-88
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with a cactus during the takeoff roll in a wilderness clearing. Thereafter, the pilot lost control of the airplane and it ground looped to a stop. The clearing was approximately 800 feet long by 50 feet wide, and the elevation was about 2,380 feet mean sea level. At the time, the wind was light and variable, and the temperature was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The computed density altitude was between 4,800 and 5,000 feet.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 652 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 536 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,797 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 5, 2000; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,350 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arizona Aviation
The flight
- Destination: PAN AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 210°F (99°C), dew point 113°F (45°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from DVT, 36 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.