20260131001139I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper J3C-65 · Erwinna, PA · January 31, 2026

Date: January 31, 2026 · 11:00 local
Place: Erwinna, PA
Airport: Van Sant
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N42803
Reported as: Piper J3C-65
Reported engine: Continental A&C65 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours: 32,100 total

N42803Registered now · Piper J3C-65S/N 15118 · Built 1946 Airframe modelPiper J3C-65 Engine modelContinental A&C65 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.

Pilot was doing touch and goes at Van Sant Airport. The runway was snow covered with patches of ice and the aircraft was on skis. On take off personnel on the ground alerted the passenger via phone the right gear looked like it was hanging strangley. The pilot performed a low pass so personnel on the ground could view the gear. Ground personnel confirmed the gear strut was broken. Pilot landed with the left gear down first and attempted to keep the right gear and wing off the snow as long as possible. After landing it was found that the strut was broken about 3/4 of the way up.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS DOING TOUCH AND GOES AT VAN SANT AIRPORT. THE RUNWAY WAS SNOW COVERED WITH PATCHES OF ICE AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON SKIS. ON TAKE OFF PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND ALERTED THE PASSENGER VIA PHONE THE RIGHT GEAR LOOKED LIKE IT WAS HANGING STRANGLEY. THE PILOT PERFORMED A LOW PASS SO PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND COULD VIEW THE GEAR. GROUND PERSONNEL CONFIRMED THE GEAR STRUT WAS BROKEN. PILOT LANDED WITH THE LEFT GEAR DOWN FIRST AND ATTEMPTED TO KEEP THE RIGHT GEAR AND WING OFF THE SNOW AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. AFTER LANDING IT WAS FOUND THAT THE STRUT WAS BROKEN ABOUT 3/4 OF THE WAY UP.