- Date
- March 30, 2013, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Daytona Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N35252Piper J3L-65
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 7, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20130330007399A
- Case key
- 86778
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 during landing, resulting in a runway excursion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to land with a tailwind.
Findings · 4
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
According to the pilot, he was participating in a spot landing competition at the airport. After the airplane’s main landing gear touched down on runway 5, the airplane began to drift slightly to the right. He applied left rudder and brake to realign the airplane with the runway and to counteract a “quartering tailwind.” He also advanced the throttle to assist in centering the airplane with the runway, but the engine “stuttered.” He retracted the throttle and continued to apply left rudder and aileron; however, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and impacted a hangar, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. Video taken by a spectator of the landing competition corroborates the pilot’s description of the accident. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An airport located about 5 miles east of the accident site recorded wind from 200 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot he was participating in a spot landing competition at the airport. After the airplane main landing gear touched down on runway 05 the airplane began to drift slightly to the right. He applied left rudder and brake to realign the airplane with the runway and to also counteract a “quartering tailwind”. He also advanced the throttle to assist in centering the airplane with the runway, but the engine “stuttered.” He retracted the throttle and continued to apply left rudder and aileron; however, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and impacted a hangar resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. Videotape taken by a spectator of the landing competition corroborates the pilot’s description of the accident. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that could have precluded normal operation. Wind reported at an airport located about 5 miles east of the accident site was from 200 degrees at 08 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N35252
- Reported as
- Piper J3L-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6246
- Airframe hours
- 2,822
- Engine
- Cont Motor A-65A, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Bannerman James W
- Registered owner
- Bannerman James W
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental light sport (Special); Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 15, 2012 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- 7FL6 · Daytona Beach, FL
- Destination
- 7FL6 · Daytona Beach, FL
- Airport
- 7FL6 · Spruce Creek Airport, runway 05, 4,000 × 176 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
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 22, 2012
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 110 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 8 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- EVB, 5 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 30, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.5 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.