Aeronca 7AC Champion, N12DF, fatal accident occurred on September 24, 2026, near Hesperia, California

 

• Location: Hesperia, CA
• Accident Number: WPR26FA355 
• Date & Time: September 24, 2026, 09:45 Local 
• Registration: N12DF 
• Aircraft: Aeronca 7AC 
• Injuries: 2 Fatal 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal 

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/203867/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=n12DF

On September 24, 2026, about 0945 Pacific daylight time, an Aeronca 7AC, N12DF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hesperia, California. The flight instructor and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the operator of the airplane, the pilot had rented the airplane and departed from Apple Valley Airport (APV), Apple Valley, California, on the day of the accident flight. A destination was not offered by the pilot, just a basic query as to where to go for breakfast.

The accident was witnessed by multiple people within the vicinity of the accident site.  One witness stated that due to construction equipment, they could not hear the airplane, however, they noticed a small airplane flying in the area.  They recalled that the tail appeared lower than the wings with the tail moving laterally from right to left before the airplane rolled over and he was able to see the belly of the airplane. The airplane's nose was pointed down and then he saw the airplane descend toward terrain.

Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted terrain about 1.5 miles southwest of Hesperia Airport (L26), Hesperia, California. The airplane came to rest in a nose down attitude, in open desert terrain on a heading of about 160° magnetic, at an elevation of 3,584 ft mean seal level (msl). There was no visible ground scar observed surrounding the wreckage. The propeller assembly and propeller blades remained attached to the engine and the engine was pushed aft toward the firewall. The undercarriage of the cockpit was crushed forward toward the engine, with the empennage and tail at an almost 90° degree angle. Both wings remained attached to the fuselage and had sustained leading edge crush damage throughout.

The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.