Aeronca 7EC accident near Astatula, Florida, February 12, 1983
On February 12, 1983 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Aeronca 7EC, registered N4320C, was destroyed in an accident near Astatula, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 1983 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Astatula, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7EC · all 7ECs on the register
- Registration
- N4320C · registry record · serial 7EC325
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT MADE A LOW PASS OVER WITNESSES & PULLED UP STEEPLY. THE ACFT STALLED & SLID BACKWARDS BEFORE IT BECAME INVERTED AND SPUN TO THE GROUND. THERE WERE ABOUT 2 ROTATIONS IN THE SPIN BEFORE IMPACT. THE PLT WHO IS LISTED AS PIC FOR THIS FLT WAS EMPLOYED AS AN AERIAL APPLICATION PLT BY THE ACFT OWNERS. THEY STATED THEY DID NOT GIVE SPECIFIC APPROVAL FOR THIS PLEASURE FLT BUT THEY HAD NO OBJECTIONS TO IT. TOXICOLOGICAL TESTS OF THE OCCUPANTS SHOWED LEVELS OF BLOOD ALCOHOL FOR THE PIC OF 0.175 PERCENT AND THE OTHER PILOT AS 0.270 PERCENT. BOTH OCCUPANTS WERE PILOTS. THE EMPLOYEE OF THE ACFT OWNER IS LISTED AS PIC AND PRESUMED TO BE THE PILOT ON THE CONTROLS.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,318 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 1982; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; not recorded at 500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.