Aeronca 7BCM accident near Portland, Tennessee, April 16, 1996
On April 16, 1996 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Aeronca 7BCM, registered N2908E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Portland, Tennessee (Portland Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Delay by the pilot-in-command to perform a go-around after the airplane bounced three times during the landing attempt. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot to obtain a preflight weather briefing and his poor in-flight planning decision for attempting to land with a wind 10 degrees behind the right wing at 17 knots with gusts to 26 knots.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1996 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Portland, Tennessee · Portland Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 7BCM · all 7BCMs on the register
- Registration
- N2908E · registry record · serial 7AC6491
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing before the flight. After touchdown with a wind 10 degrees behind the right wing at 17 knots with gusts to 26 knots, the airplane bounced three times. During the landing roll at near taxing speed, a gust of wind occurred and the airplane became airborne and drifted off the left side of the runway. The pilot then applied power but with obstructions ahead he elected to stall the airplane into a field causing substantial damage to the airplane.
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: 160 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 160 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,712 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1995; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,420 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRC Columbia TN at 2:48 pm
- Destination: 1M5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 17 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from 1M5
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 N2908E 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.