Aeronca O-58B accident near Greenville, South Carolina, June 5, 1996
On June 5, 1996 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Aeronca O-58B, registered N49546, was destroyed in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from power lines while maneuvering at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 1996 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca O-58B
- Registration
- N49546 · no longer on the register · serial 1502619
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had flown into the area, picked up a passenger, and had just departed the airport when the airplane struck a power line that crossed over the lake he was flying over. The airplane then impacted the lake and sank. The passenger stated that the reason they were flying over the lake 'at such a low altitude,' was that they were 'just sightseeing...[and] did not see the wires.' A witness standing on the shore near the boat docks observed the airplane fly directly over his location, heading in a northwesterly direction. He stated that the airplane flew low over him and had cleared the tops of the trees by an estimated altitude of '1 to 200 feet.' After the airplane past over him and was heading away from him, over the lake, he said to another person 'I bet he didn't know about the power lines...since he was flying so low.' About that time the witness heard the airplane strike the wires. The witness further stated, '...in my opinion the aircraft was developing power and operating normally up until impact.' Examination of the airframe revealed a wire strike mark on the leading edge about mid-span of the left wing. Examination of the engine did not reveal any discrepancies. The wooden propeller was still attached to the crankshaft flange, but the tips of both blades were missing. A search was conducted on the bottom of the lake for the missing propeller blades, with negative results. The power lines in the vicinity of the crash site consisted of 8 cables supported by two towers located on both sides of the lake. The cables crossed the lake in an east-west direction. The bottom cables were about 50 feet above the lake, and the top cables were about 150 feet above the lake. The third cable from the top, had been repaired, and according to the police, the cable was broken before they had arrived at the crash site.
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
- Flight time: 310 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,182 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 1996; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A75 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7A1 at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:47 pm from GMU, 25 miles away
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.
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.