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20110917021019I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper J3C-65 · Dunkirk, NY · September 17, 2011

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 17, 2011 · 11:00 local
Place
Dunkirk, NY
Phase of flight
Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N41116
Reported as
Piper J3C-65
Reported engine
Continental C85 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
850 total20 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days
N41116Registered now · Piper J3C-65S/N 7764 · Built 1941Airframe modelPiper J3C-65Engine modelContinental C85 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Airman reports when he departed his home airport near chittenango, NY that he had full fuel. He noted that he must have had a good ground speed based on his timing between check points-even though the pilot did not flight plan. Over the Dunkirk airport, the pilot deliberately stalled the airplane in an attempt to giggle the cork and wire fuel float to determine that it was reading accurately. The airman reported that there was no change in the wire and proceeded towards dart field, in mayville, NY which is about 15 minutes from the Dunkirk, NY (dkk) airport. Having flown over the village of fredonia at 3200 feet, the engine quite. He turned and headed for the dkk airport. He recognized he would not make the airport and elected to land on the "thruway driving range" in Dunkirk, NY. During the approach, it appears that the right aileron glanced off a rail road tie used to secure the grape vines. The impact caused the rail road tie to come out of the ground. This impact caused the airplane to impact the ground, so that it sheered off the right main landing gear and the airplane skidded and came to rest in a 3 - 4 feet deep drainage ditch. There was no injuries to the pilot and airplane sustained minor damage.

As the FAA filed it

AIRMAN REPORTS WHEN HE DEPARTED HIS HOME AIRPORT NEAR CHITTENANGO, NY THAT HE HAD FULL FUEL. HE NOTED THAT HE MUST HAVE HAD A GOOD GROUND SPEED BASED ON HIS TIMING BETWEEN CHECK POINTS-EVEN THOUGH THE PILOT DID NOT FLIGHT PLAN. OVER THE DUNKIRK AIRPORT, THE PILOT DELIBERATELY STALLED THE AIRPLANE IN AN ATTEMPT TO GIGGLE THE CORK AND WIRE FUEL FLOAT TO DETERMINE THAT IT WAS READING ACCURATELY. THE AIRMAN REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE WIRE AND PROCEEDED TOWARDS DART FIELD, IN MAYVILLE, NY WHICH IS ABOUT 15 MINUTES FROM THE DUNKIRK, NY (DKK) AIRPORT. HAVING FLOWN OVER THE VILLAGE OF FREDONIA AT 3200 FEET, THE ENGINE QUITE. HE TURNED AND HEADED FOR THE DKK AIRPORT. HE RECOGNIZED HE WOULD NOT MAKE THE AIRPORT AND ELECTED TO LAND ON THE "THRUWAY DRIVING RANGE" IN DUNKIRK, NY. DURING THE APPROACH, IT APPEARS THAT THE RIGHT AILERON GLANCED OFF A RAIL ROAD TIE USED TO SECURE THE GRAPE VINES. THE IMPACT CAUSED THE RAIL ROAD TIE TO COME OUT OF THE GROUND. THIS IMPACT CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO IMPACT THE GROUND, SO THAT IT SHEERED OFF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED AND CAME TO REST IN A 3 - 4 FEET DEEP DRAINAGE DITCH. THERE WAS NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT AND AIRPLANE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE.