- Date
- March 4, 2026, 13:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sonora, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3695ZPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260304001629A
- Case key
- 202610
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 adequate airspeed during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control and hard landing.
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 during takeoff the airplane felt like it was on the edge of an aerodynamic stall and would only climb to the top of ground effect. The pilot attempted to maintain 50 mph with aircraft pitch; however, the airplane drifted left and descended into terrain left of the runway and landed hard. During the hard landing, the right main landing gear collapsed which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. Following the accident, the pilot initially reported the airspeed indications were normal during the flight. He then reported concerns with the airspeed indicator for possible water intrusion into the pitot/static system due to recent heavy rains which may have resulted in erroneous airspeed indications. The pitot/static system and airspeed indicator were tested by a maintenance facility which recovered the airplane and found to be within normal operating limitations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3695Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7430
- Built
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 1,103
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 7, 2026
- Destination
- FST · Fort Stockton, TX
- Airport
- SOA · Sonora Municipal, runway 18, 4,037 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Military, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 4, 2025
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 8,854 total · 84 in this make and model · 8,507 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 7 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KSOA
- METAR
- METAR KSOA 041915Z AUTO 16007KT BKN031 BKN070 BKN090 24/16 A3005 RMK AO2=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 8, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 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.
Other investigations on N3695Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.