NTSB Factual Report

On October 1, 2001, at 1800 central daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N1746E, piloted by a private pilot was destroyed when it impacted terrain 6 miles east of Erhard, Minnesota. A post crash fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and passenger on board reported no injuries. The local flight originated near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, at 1730.

In his written statement, the pilot said he was in a left turning descent from approximately 1,000 feet agl to approximately 700 feet agl when the airplane's left wing dropped. The pilot said, "I applied right stick, and simultaneously the airplane entered a spin. I pushed the stick immediately forward and applied right rudder - waiting for the aircraft to recover. The aircraft recovered approximately 35 feet from the ground, below a tree line that was quickly approaching. There was an area of open (unobstructed) ground to my left and I elected to land there. During the landing one of the landing gear collapsed and I slid to a stop short of the trees." The pilot said a fire occurred in the engine nacelle area. "My extinguisher was not adequate to extinguish the fire and eventually the entire fabric A/C (aircraft) was consumed."

Also in his written statement, the pilot provided the following safety recommendation: "Maintain adequate airspeed at all times when airborne."

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot not maintaining adequate airspeed while maneuvering in the turn. Factors relating to this accident were the low airspeed, the inadvertent stall, and the low altitude.