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20160925015979I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Piper J3C-65 · Edgewater, FL · September 25, 2016

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 25, 2016 · 10:30 local
Place
Edgewater, FL
Airport
Massey Ranch Airpark
Phase of flight
Taxi
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N91973
Reported as
Piper J3C-65
Reported engine
Continental C85-8F
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
11,200 total7 in this make and model92 in the last 90 days
N91973Registered now · Piper J3C-65S/N 16404Airframe modelPiper J3C-65

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.

Received call from FAA rocc in regards to incident at Massey ranch air park (X50) Edgewater, FL. 32132. Aircraft N91973 s/n: 16404 Piper (cub) J3C65 had been performing a high speed taxi and went into the tree line at X50.

Pilot stated he had no intentions of flying the aircraft. Pilot stated he completed 2 high speed taxi's prior to the incident on runway 36 heading north. During the 3rd high speed taxi the left wing started to rise. This happened about 500-800 feet down runway 36 at about 20 knots. Pilot stated he reduced power and the aircraft just went right and contacted the trees about 130 feet off the runway in the right side tree line (2nd group of trees). Pilot stated he was not sure what happened, he just remembers being in the trees. Pilot stated he never left the ground or barely came off the ground. Pilot stated he was doing high speed taxi's to break the engine in and see how the aircraft would perform after maintenance. Pilot stated the aircraft, engine, flight controls and brakes were performing normal up to the incident. Pilot stated he completed a pre-flight check. There was substantial damage to the engine fire wall, wings and fuselage. The engine fire wall is creased and cracked in multiple locations due to contacting a tree. The left wing fabric is torn and there is damage to the aluminum wing. The fuselage on the right side has broken frame tubes from contacting a tree. The right wing fabric is torn and there is damage to the aluminum wing. The engine when looking at it straight on is bent to the left from the engine mounts being bent and damaged from impacting a tree. The front windscreen is cracked. The bottom of the aircraft in front of the pilot seat has a large hole from a tree branch.

As the FAA filed it

RECEIVED CALL FROM FAA ROCC IN REGARDS TO INCIDENT AT MASSEY RANCH AIR PARK (X50) EDGEWATER, FL. 32132. AIRCRAFT N91973 S/N: 16404 PIPER (CUB) J3C65 HAD BEEN PERFORMING A HIGH SPEED TAXI AND WENT INTO THE TREE LINE AT X50.

PILOT STATED HE HAD NO INTENTIONS OF FLYING THE AIRCRAFT. PILOT STATED HE COMPLETED 2 HIGH SPEED TAXI'S PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT ON RUNWAY 36 HEADING NORTH. DURING THE 3RD HIGH SPEED TAXI THE LEFT WING STARTED TO RISE. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 500-800 FEET DOWN RUNWAY 36 AT ABOUT 20 KNOTS. PILOT STATED HE REDUCED POWER AND THE AIRCRAFT JUST WENT RIGHT AND CONTACTED THE TREES ABOUT 130 FEET OFF THE RUNWAY IN THE RIGHT SIDE TREE LINE (2ND GROUP OF TREES). PILOT STATED HE WAS NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED, HE JUST REMEMBERS BEING IN THE TREES. PILOT STATED HE NEVER LEFT THE GROUND OR BARELY CAME OFF THE GROUND. PILOT STATED HE WAS DOING HIGH SPEED TAXI'S TO BREAK THE ENGINE IN AND SEE HOW THE AIRCRAFT WOULD PERFORM AFTER MAINTENANCE. PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT, ENGINE, FLIGHT CONTROLS AND BRAKES WERE PERFORMING NORMAL UP TO THE INCIDENT. PILOT STATED HE COMPLETED A PRE-FLIGHT CHECK. THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE FIRE WALL, WINGS AND FUSELAGE. THE ENGINE FIRE WALL IS CREASED AND CRACKED IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS DUE TO CONTACTING A TREE. THE LEFT WING FABRIC IS TORN AND THERE IS DAMAGE TO THE ALUMINUM WING. THE FUSELAGE ON THE RIGHT SIDE HAS BROKEN FRAME TUBES FROM CONTACTING A TREE. THE RIGHT WING FABRIC IS TORN AND THERE IS DAMAGE TO THE ALUMINUM WING. THE ENGINE WHEN LOOKING AT IT STRAIGHT ON IS BENT TO THE LEFT FROM THE ENGINE MOUNTS BEING BENT AND DAMAGED FROM IMPACTING A TREE. THE FRONT WINDSCREEN IS CRACKED. THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRCRAFT IN FRONT OF THE PILOT SEAT HAS A LARGE HOLE FROM A TREE BRANCH.