- Date
- February 12, 2024, 11:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- South Lyon, MI · Airplane came to rest suspended in trees
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N87965Piper J3C-65
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Collision during takeoff/land
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration - East Michigan FSDO
- FAA report
- 20240212001119A
- Case key
- 193779
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 clearance from trees during the landing approach.
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 reported that while on final approach to a private airstrip the airplane drifted left of the runway centerline. Before he could take corrective action, the airplane’s left wing impacted trees adjacent to the airstrip. The airplane came to rest suspended nose down in the trees with substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and the left wing and its wing strut. A postaccident review of available weather data indicated the reported surface wind was calm-to-3 knots and of variable direction at the time of the accident. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N87965
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15583
- Built
- 1946
- Airframe hours
- 1,952
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 2, 2023 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- 1D2 · Canton, MI
- Destination
- PVT · South Lyon, MI
- Airport
- PVT · Private, runway 36, 2,000 × 55 ft, grass/turf
- 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
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 15, 2023
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,817 total · 517 in this make and model · 1,583 as pilot in command · 5.4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- ARB, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KARB 121653Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 02/M07 A2993 RMK AO2 SLP144 T00171067=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.4 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.