- Date
- February 2, 1989, 17:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Richards, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6675HPiper J-3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890202001829A
- Case key
- 22831
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 inadequate preflight planning/preparation in disregarding wind information. Contributing to the accident were the gusting crosswind conditions and the pilot's overconfidence in personal ability.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot had departed his private airstrip 15 minutes earlier and was turning final for a landing to the south when the airplane hit first a tree and then the ground. The pilot stated a gust of wind made the airplane uncontrollable and blew it into the tree. The pilot also stated the wind was from the west-southwest at an estimated 18 knots gusting to 25 knots. Weather listed above under weather data was observed at college station, Texas, 38 NM from the accident site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6675H
- Reported as
- Piper J-3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19880
- Airframe hours
- 2,278
- Engine
- Continental C-85-8F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Brown, Scotty
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 5, 1989 · 2 hours before
- Airport
- runway 18, 2,600 × 40 ft, grass/turf
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 3,750 total · 250 in this make and model · 3,500 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 320° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CLL, 38 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.