ERA19LA202

Factual narrative

On June 21, 2019, at 1300 central daylight time, an Aeronca S7EC, N4349C, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Jasper, Alabama. The airline transport pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot, who was also the owner of the airplane, reported that that he and the pilot-rated passenger added about 5 gallons of 100 low lead aviation fuel to airplane’s fuel tank, which had previously been serviced with non-ethanol automotive gasoline. They then departed on the 25-nautical mile flight. Approaching the destination airport, the pilot reduced engine power, and they conducted a series of “s” turns to slow the airplane and increase separation due to other aircraft in the airport traffic pattern. On the final leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot applied throttle to increase engine power; however, the engine did not respond. The pilot attempted to troubleshoot by checking the fuel, carburetor heat, and magneto switches. He pumped the throttle several times, after which the engine surged, then completely “quit” as the airplane descend through 500 ft. The pilot made a forced landing in a grass field about 600 ft short of the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane impacted a drainage ditch, shearing off the landing gear as the airplane skidded to a stop. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. The main fuel tank remained intact and contained about 8 gallons of fuel. Subsequent inspection by the pilot’s mechanic revealed a “gunky” substance in the carburetor bowl. The mechanic stated it had the appearance of a “milky white” liquid. No other anomalies were identified with the engine. The pilot fueled the airplane to capacity by adding about 5 gallons of aviation fuel to the tank, which had previously been serviced with non-ethanol automotive gasoline. The pilot and passenger then departed on the 25-nautical-mile flight to their destination airport. On final approach for landing, the engine became unresponsive to throttle inputs and subsequently lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing in a grass field about 600 ft short of the runway, during which the airplane impacted a ditch, resulting in substantial damage. Subsequent maintenance conducted by the pilot’s mechanic revealed that the carburetor bowl contained an unidentified “milky white” substance. Given the lack of other anomalies, it is likely that the fuel contamination resulted in the loss of engine power. The source of the contamination could not be determined based on the available information. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid condition