# Incident 20260131001139I: Piper J3C-65, Erwinna, PA, January 31, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 31, 2026, 11:00 local time
- Place: Erwinna, PA
- Airport: Van Sant
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.4843° N, 75.0996° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at VANSANT (9N1), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.4843&lon=-75.0996&mi=10
- Aircraft: N42803, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N42803) (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 J3C-65
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 32,100 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260131001139I

## Narrative

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

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.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.