- Date
- June 7, 2008, 11:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Luckey, OH
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N582WHNaval Aircraft Factory N3N-3
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Cleveland, OH, FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080607846279A
- Case key
- 68409
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 not maintaining clearance from the high vegetation during the off airport landing. Contributing to the accident was the high vegetation.
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 on a cross country flight, the pilot elected to make an off airport landing to an open field due to a fluctuating oil pressure gauge. The pilot said that the "wing tip hit the wheat which rotated the aircraft as the landing gear touched the ground." The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane reference the flight. An examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The pilot's safety recommendation was, "Think about the landing not saving the engine. Land in the center of the field not the edge ... ."
Factual narrative
While on a cross country flight, the pilot elected to make an off airport landing to an open field due to a fluctuating oil pressure gauge. The pilot said that the "wing tip hit the wheat which rotated the aircraft as the landing gear touched the ground." The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane reference the flight. An examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies that would have precluded operation of the airplane. The pilot's safety recommendation was, "Think about the landing not saving the engine. Land in the center of the field not the edge ... ."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N582WH
- Reported as
- Naval Aircraft Factory N3N-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2003
- Airframe hours
- 147.2
- Engine
- Wright R760, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William Hirzel
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2008
- Departed
- TDZ · Toledo, OH
- Destination
- 1G0 · Bowling Green, OH
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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 1, 2006
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,809 total · 109 in this make and model · 1,809 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Observed at
- TDZ
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.