- Date
- July 19, 2011, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Williams Lake, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N88000Piper J3C-65
- Defining event
- Approach: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 20, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110719023799A
- Case key
- 81193
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
A loss of control during approach due to the front seat passenger's belt buckle being wedged between the rear seat,the rudder pedal and floor board.
Findings · 3
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
The pilot landed after performing a local flight with a passenger. The passenger, who was seated in the front seat, exited the airplane. The pilot then departed on another local flight. During the approach for landing, while turning from the base leg to final approach, he was unable to move the left rudder pedal. The airplane entered a right hand spiral and impacted a tree and terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the front seat belt buckle had jammed between the rear seat rudder pedal and floor board.
Factual narrative
The pilot landed after performing a local flight with a passenger. The passenger, who was seated in the front seat, exited the airplane. The pilot then departed on another local flight. During the approach for landing, while turning from base leg to final, he was unable to move the left rudder pedal. The airplane entered a right hand spiral and impacted a tree and terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that front seat belt buckle had jammed between the rear seat rudder pedal and floor board.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N88000
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15617
- Airframe hours
- 3,607
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pilot
- Registered owner
- Air N88000 Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 19, 2011
- Departed
- Williams Lake, MI
- Destination
- Williams Lake, MI
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
- 46
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Observed at
- PTK, 1 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 13, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 459 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.