- Date
- July 22, 1994, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Waller, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N70580Piper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940722019189A
- Case key
- 19125
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 proper clearance during takeoff.
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
While demonstrating a spin manuever during an instructional flight, the engine lost power. Restart was not successful and a forced landing was executed to a horse track. There were no injuries and no damage to the airplane. The instructor pilot had the pilot receiving instruction disembark the airplane and then began to take off. After becoming airborne the right stabilizer struck a fence. The airplane then pitched up and rolled left, coming to rest on an adjacent road.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 1994, approximately 1730 central daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N70580, was substantially damaged during take off near Waller, Texas. The instructor pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR 91 flight.
The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration inspector that he was conducting spin instruction for a rated pilot when the engine lost power. He reported that a successful forced landing was made to a horse track. Following the landing, he and the other pilot inspected the airplane and found no damage.
The instructor pilot told the other pilot to wait there while he flew back to Waller and would send a vehicle for him. The instructor pilot then took off, and during the initial climb the right stabilizer struck a fence. The airplane pitched up and rolled to the left, coming to rest on an adjacent road. The resulting ground impact caused structural damage to the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70580
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17589
- Engine
- Continental C-85-8, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Zadow, Ryszard J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1994
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 7,086 total · 60 in this make and model · 3,211 as pilot in command · 238 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.