- Date
- June 17, 2020, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Mount Victory, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N25702Piper J3C-65
- Defining event
- Standing-engine(s) start-up: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Stabdards District Office
- FAA report
- 20200617005969A
- Case key
- 101451
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 inadequate planning, and his failure to secure the airplane prior to hand-starting the engine.
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 stated that he hand-started the engine by turning the propeller from behind. The airplane was not chocked, but the pilot stated he had "moved the tail wheel sideways." The engine started immediately, and the airplane collided with a utility pole, causing leading edge damage to both wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25702
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3666
- Built
- 1939
- Airframe hours
- 1,880
- Engine
- Continental C-65, 65 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 6, 2020 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 074 · Mount Victory, OH
- Destination
- O74 · Mount Victory, OH
- Airport
- O74 · Elliotts Landing
- Equipment
- None
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
- 82
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- November 17, 2019
- Seat
- None
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 2,664 total · 45.5 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- EDJ, 17 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 10, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 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.