You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Thursday 22 February 2024 |
| Time: | 16:30 |
| Type: |  Aeronca 7AC Champion |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N1611E |
| MSN: | 7AC-5176 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1946 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Valley Springs, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | San Andreas-Calaveras Co Maury Rasmussen Field, CA (KCPU) |
| Franklin Field, CA (KF72) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot stated that en route to her destination, she was practicing low-altitude ground reference maneuvers. The last maneuver ended with the airplane in a box canyon. The airplane had insufficient altitude, airspeed, and distance from the canyon walls to turn around. As the airplane approached the end of the canyon, she realized the airplane would not be able to outclimb the rising terrain. She looked for a clear spot to land and reduced the throttle to idle while shutting off the fuel. The pilot tried to maneuver to avoid taller terrain and touched down in between trees with the wings impacting them. During the accident sequence, the airplane incurred substantial damage to the wings.
The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s decision to maneuver the airplane at a low altitude and inadvertently entering a box canyon where the airplane could not outclimb the rising terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/3313032/pilot-survives-plane-crash-in-calaveras-county.html
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193832
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Feb-2024 12:53 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 23-Feb-2024 16:21 | vasilf | Updated [Departure airport, Source, ] |
| 13-Mar-2024 19:47 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Category, Accident report, ] |
| 16-Aug-2024 12:53 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation