- Date
- October 31, 2010, 11:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Cypress, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N41458Piper J3C-65
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- FAA report
- 20101031054189A
- Case key
- 78040
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 directional control of the airplane during landing.
Findings · 1
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
According to the pilot, during landing the airplane touched down to the right side of the runway centerline and bounced. It then traveled further to the right and struck a fence post, substantially damaging the wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot made a three point landing in his single-engine airplane but landed on the right side of the runway centerline and bounced. This caused the airplane to move further to the right toward the edge of the runway and the right wing tip struck a fence post and subsequently cracked the wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41458
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8095
- Engine
- Cont Motor C85 SERIES, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Trace Tucker, Henry Curd andMichael Steiger
- Registered owner
- Trace Tucker, Henry Curd andMichael Steiger
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TS07 · Cypress, TX
- Destination
- TS07 · Cypress, TX
- Airport
- TS07 · Cypress, runway 18
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 1,540 total · 145 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 10, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 537 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.