# Incident 20070208003599I: Piper J3C65, Los Lunas, NM, February 8, 2007

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 8, 2007, 13:13 local time
- Place: Los Lunas, NM
- Airport: Mid Valley Airpark Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.7610° N, 106.7449° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MID VALLEY AIRPARK (E98), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7610&lon=-106.7449&mi=10
- Aircraft: N92488, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N92488) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental A&C65 series (registry code 17003, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER J3C65
- Reported engine: CONT A65*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070208003599I

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE FOLLOWING IS A DESCRIPTION OF AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED DURING A HIGH-SPEED TAXI TO TEST FOR A WEAK MAGNETO. THE OWNER/PILOT DESCRIBED THIS AS A "MAINTENANCE CHECK" AND STATED THAT HE HAD NOT INTENDED TO, AND DID NOT, FLY THE AIRCRAFT. ON 02/08/07, APPROXIMATELY 1313 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER J3-A65 (NC92488) OPERATED BY ONE OF ITS OWNERS, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN IT WAS DELIBERATELY OVERTURNED ON THE MID-VALLEY AIRPORT (E98), LOS LUNAS, NM TO AVOID CONTACT WITH A WATER-FILLED IRRIGATION CANAL AND OVERHEAD POWER LINES AFTER THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING A HIGH-SPEED TAXI TO CHECK FOR A WEAK MAGNETO. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ HOLDS A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH AIRPLANE, SINGLE ENGINE, LAND RATING. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS NOT INJURED. DURING AN INTERVIEW, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DA^ STATED HE LOOKED INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT TO CHECK ENGINE RPM AND HIS MAGNETOS. WHEN HE LOOKED BACK OUTSIDE, THE AIRCRAFT HAD DRIFTED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY (WHICH IS BORDERED BY THE IRRIGATION DITCH, POWER LINES, AND A RAILROAD EMBANKMENT). REALIZING HE WOUL                                         D BE UNABLE TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT REACHED THE IRRIGATION DITCH, HE DELIBERATELY FLIPPED IT OVER TO KEEP IT FROM GOING INTO THE WATER-FILLED DITCH THAT WAS UNDER THE POWER LINES. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT TURNED OVER, IT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING SPAR, ENGINE MOUNT, AND FIREWALL.

## Other reports on N92488 (2)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20090608008719I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090608008719I), Jun 8, 2009: Piper J3C65 (N92488), Los Lunas, NM, Minor damage. (-23) On jun 8, 2009, at 1030 MDT, a Piper J3C-65, N92488, registered to [privacy data omitted](partnership), collided with a Cessna 320, N320CE, while taxiing…
- [Incident 19931002046299I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19931002046299I), Oct 2, 1993: Piper J3C65 (N92488), Albuquerque, NM, Minor damage. Pilot stated wind hit aircaft on rollout and aircraft flipped over.

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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