IAD96LA099

Factual narrative

On June 16, 1996, at 1230 eastern standard time, an Aeronca L-3B, N46634, experienced a loss of engine power while maneuvering after take off from the Morgantown Municipal Airport, in Morgantown, West Virginia. The pilot and the one passenger received no injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it collided with a wooden building during the forced landing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, no flight plan was filed. The local flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, and originated from Morgantown, West Virginia, at approximately 1100. The pilot stated that she flew to Fairmont Municipal airport in Fairmont, West Virginia, for personal reasons. The pilot stated that upon returning to Morgantown, she decided to practice touch and go landings on runway 18. She reported that after about 40 minutes of landing practice, as the airplane climbed through about 100 to 200 feet above ground level (agl) after takeoff, she began to smell something burning. She estimated that the airplane was about one mile from the runway when she began to smell the odor. The pilot reported that she turned the airplane around, and attempted to return to land on runway 36, but "...Smoke entered the cockpit, and [the] engine quit. At this point I was aimed at runway 36, but without enough altitude to glide to the runway, so I put [the] aircraft into a small field." The airplane impacted a building during the landing roll, and came to rest inverted. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector stated that "the accident site was a small field with power lines at the south end and a small wooden farm building near the north end...after touchdown, the right wing struck the wooden building." The FAA inspector reported that postaccident examination of the airplane revealed "...a 7" x 3" hole in the muffler shroud and approximately the same size hole in the muffler tube... ." He stated: "Hot exhaust from the engine had damaged the spark plug leads from the right magneto and, to a lesser extent, two leads from the left magneto that were routed to the right side cylinders. Heat had melted the insulation from both magneto 'P' leads, effectively grounding both magnetos. After disconnecting the 'P' lead, the left magneto delivered normal spark to all four cylinders. The right magneto is not equipped with an impulse coupling and therefore could not be easily checked." No further mechanical anomalies were noted. Examination of the airplane records revealed that the most recent maintenance was an annual inspection, dated May 15, 1995, 13 months before the accident. Records indicated that the airplane had been flown 7.7 hours since that inspection. The airplane's total flight time was 1,798.2 hours. The pilot stated that she had been practicing touch-and-go landings on runway 18 for about 40 minutes, when she began to smell '...something burning.' She estimated the airplane was about 100 to 200 feet agl and about one mile from the runway when she began to smell the odor. She attempted to land on runway 36, but the engine lost power completely. The pilot indicated that there wasn't enough altitude to glide to the runway, so she landed in a small field, and the airplane impacted a wood building during the landing roll. Postaccident examination revealed a hole in the muffler shroud and muffler tube, and melted insulation from both magneto 'P' leads, in the vicinity of the muffler hole. The FAA Inspector stated that after 'disconnecting the 'P' lead, the left magneto delivered normal spark to all four cylinders.' Airplane records indicate that the most recent maintenance inspection was an annual inspection, dated May 15, 1995, 13 months before the accident. The airplane had flown 7.7 hours since that inspection. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12