- Date
- May 30, 2010, 18:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Mount Pleasant, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N88117Piper J3C-65
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20100530041059A
- Case key
- 76186
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while turning resulting in a stall.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
After takeoff, the pilot noticed the tachometer reading 2,100 RPM and the airspeed was 45-50 miles per hour. He felt the climb performance was less than normal to reach 500 feet above the ground (AGL), where he began a climbing right turn to the crosswind. During the turn he noticed the altitude decreasing, so he tried to recover from the descent. At about 400 feet AGL he felt the airplane sink and start to stall in what he believed was a downdraft. He lowered the nose and started to recover from the stall when the airplane impacted trees. Density altitude was 2,867 feet. No anomalies were found with the airplane.
Factual narrative
After takeoff, the pilot noticed the tachometer reading 2,100 RPM and the airspeed was 45-50 miles per hour. He felt the climb performance was less than normal to reach 500 feet above the ground (AGL), where he began a climbing right turn to the crosswind. During the turn he noticed the altitude decreasing, so he tried to recover from the descent. At about 400 feet AGL he felt the airplane sink and start to stall in what he believed was a downdraft. He lowered the nose and started to recover from the stall when the airplane impacted trees. Density altitude was 2,867 feet. No anomalies were found with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N88117
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15730
- Airframe hours
- 7,600
- Engine
- Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Unknown
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 2009
- Departed
- XS70 · Mount Pleasant, TX
- Destination
- XS70 · Mount Pleasant, TX
- Airport
- XS70 · Glover Airport, runway 34, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,400 total · 125 in this make and model · 1,200 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 5 knots
- Temperature
- 95 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 30, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 533 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.