Aeronca 65-CA accident near Deming, New Mexico, December 15, 2022
On December 15, 2022 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Aeronca 65-CA, registered N29447, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) start-up) near Deming, New Mexico (Deming Municipal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The occupant’s improper throttle movement during the start procedure, which resulted in forward movement and loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2022 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Deming, New Mexico · Deming Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aeronca 65-CA · all 65-CAs on the register
- Registration
- N29447 · no longer on the register · serial CA10330
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, the airplane does not have an electrical system and needed to be hand propped to start the engine. There were no tire chocks or tie-down ropes on the ramp, so he asked an individual at the airport, whom he believed was a pilot and said that he had experience with assisting in hand propping an airplane. The pilot instructed the individual on the procedures and with the throttle set to 1/8 inch open, and the individual in the pilot’s seat, he then positioned himself in front of the airplane and spun the propeller. The engine started as expected and the engine immediately went to a high rpm setting. The airplane began forward movement under high rpm and speed and subsequently collided with a light pole and airport hangar after the individual in the cockpit could not stop the airplane. Both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that after the collision, he found the throttle positioned to the full forward high rpm position instead of the idle position and that the individual reported that he went the wrong direction with the throttle. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Ground collision during standing (engine(s) start-up) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Other
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Other
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 926.2 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 74.4 in the last 90 days; 24.8 in the last 30 days; 920.4 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 10, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,801.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 26, 2021; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65-8 (piston); 804 hours total
The flight
- Runway N/A
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR23LA100.