- Date
- September 3, 2011, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Gainesville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N30950Piper J3L-65
- Defining event
- Taxi-to runway: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 6, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Fort Worth FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110903030149A
- Case key
- 82274
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 during taxi, which resulted in a runway excursion.
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
The pilot reported that, while taxiing at a high speed, he lost directional control and the airplane veered to the right. His efforts to correct the veer were unsuccessful, and the airplane exited the right side of the runway. The right wing struck terrain, causing substantial damage to spar of the right wing and the empennage.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported he was taxiing to the runway for a local flight. While taxiing at high speed he lost directional control and the airplane began to veer to the right. The pilot’s efforts to correct the veer were unsuccessful and the airplane departed the right side of the paved surface. The right wing struck terrain causing substantial damage to spar of the right wing and the empennage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N30950
- Reported as
- Piper J3L-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 5225
- Airframe hours
- 2,498
- Engine
- Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 20, 2010 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- GLE · Gainesville, TX
- Destination
- Gainesville, TX
- Airport
- GLE · Gainesville Municipal Airport, runway 17, 6,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 74
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.76 inHg
- Observed at
- KGLE
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 14, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 MB 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.