# Accident 19890223002429A: Piper J3C65, Mount Vernon, TX, February 23, 1989

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 23, 1989, 16:30 local time
- Place: Mount Vernon, TX
- Airport: Franklin County Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.1705° N, 95.2207° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.1705&lon=-95.2207&mi=10
- Aircraft: N494CB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N494CB-2014-11-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER J3C65
- Reported engine: CONT C858F
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 600 total, 100 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW89FA055](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW89FA055) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890223002429A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

FRONT LIFT STRUT FAILED IN LEVEL FLIGHT. WING FOLDED CAUSING CRASH. HAD JUST BEEN REBUILT AND LICENSED DAY BEFORE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW89FA055](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW89FA055), Feb 23, 1989: Piper J3C-65 (N494CB), Mount Vernon, TX, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE BY THE MECHANICS WHO REBUILT THE AIRPLANE, IN THAT THEY FAILED TO DETECT AND/OR CORRECT THE CORRODED LIFT STRUT WHICH RESULTED IN WING FAILURE.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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