# Accident 20180715011269A: Carpenter Kenton P KOLB TWINSTAR III, La Porte, TX, July 15, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 15, 2018, 09:00 local time
- Place: La Porte, TX
- Airport: La Porte
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.6744° N, 95.0564° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6744&lon=-95.0564&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3135J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3135J-2019-05-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Carpenter Kenton P KOLB TWINSTAR III (registry code 05618DJ, https://openairdocs.org/model/carpenter-kenton-p-kolb-twinstar-iii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Bombardier ROTAX (ALL) (registry code 09050, https://openairdocs.org/engine/bombardier-rotax-all) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CARPENTER KENTON P KOLB TWINSTAR III
- Reported engine: ROTAX 582
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN18FA267](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18FA267) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180715011269A

## Narrative

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

EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS: AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED LEAVING LA PORTE AIRPORT AND MAKING A LEFT TURN BACK TOWARD THE AIRPORT.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE AT 300 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WHEN THE WITNESS HEARD THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE GO TO IDLE AND THEN TO FULL RPM. THE NEXT EVENT WAS THE AIRCRAFT CRASHING IN A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE SECOND WITNESS STATED THE SAME SCENARIO BUT OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLYING LOW OVER THE TREES BEFORE IMPACT. THE THIRD WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT STRIKE THE GROUND NOSE FIRST.

## 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 CEN18FA267](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18FA267), Jul 15, 2018: Kolb Twinstar (N3135J), La Porte, TX, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a visual approach for landing, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall at an…

## Other reports on N3135J (1)

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

- [Accident 20110802015379A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110802015379A), Aug 2, 2011: Carpenter Kenton P KOLB TWINSTAR III (N3135J), Republic, WA, Substantial damage. During landing roll the pilot lost directional control of the aircraft. The aircraft ground looped and moved to the left side of the runway where the left main…

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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