- Date
- August 22, 2023, 18:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Cleburne, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6581HPiper J4
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: 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 North Texas FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230822021699A
- Case key
- 192926
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 while landing in gusty crosswind conditions.
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
While landing to runway 15 in gusty wind conditions, the pilot lost control of the tailwheel equipped airplane, it nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and lift strut. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures which would have precluded normal operation. The wind at the time of the accident was 100° at 13 knots with gusts to 20 knots. The calculated crosswind component was between 10 and 15 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6581H
- Reported as
- Piper J4 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4-831
- Built
- 1939
- Engine
- Continental A50-1, 50 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jones Michael Robert
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Airport
- CPT · Cleburne Regional Airport, runway 15, 5,697 × 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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 240 total · 43 in this make and model · 40 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 99 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KCPT
- METAR
- METAR KCPT 222315Z AUTO 10013G20KT 10SM CLR 37/16 A2998 RMK A01=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 22, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.6 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.