- Date
- April 29, 1999, 11:25 local (16:25 UTC)
- Place
- Greenbriar, AR
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N105LMOakes J3 CUB
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990429045459A
- Case key
- 46225
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 student pilot's failure to compensate for the gusty wind condition while maneuvering, which resulted in the inadvertent stall. A factor was the gusty wind condition.
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 71 hour student pilot reported that while maneuvering his experimental homebuilt airplane, 'the aircraft entered a slow right hand, uncontrolled turn, [and] continued [in] that mode of flight until impacting the earth.' A witness reported observing the airplane's nose drop as it made a right turn. Subsequently, the airplane's right wing and nose impacted the ground. The witness further reported that the engine was running during the entire event. According to the FAA inspector, high gusty wind conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
On April 29, 1999, approximately 1125 central daylight time, an Oakes J-3 Cub experimental homebuilt airplane, N105LM, was substantially damaged during terrain impact while maneuvering near Greenbriar, Arkansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot/builder. The student pilot, sole occupant of the aircraft, sustained minor injuries. The flight originated from Clinton, Arkansas, with a destination of Chael, a private airstrip near Wooster, Arkansas.
A witness reported observing the aircraft's nose drop as it made a right turn. Subsequently, the aircraft's right wing and nose impacted the ground. The witness further reported that the engine was running during the entire event.
The 71-hour student pilot reported to the FAA inspector that "the aircraft entered a slow right hand, uncontrolled turn, [and] continued [in] that mode of flight until impacting the earth." The aircraft came to rest inverted.
Examination of the aircraft wreckage by the FAA inspector revealed that the engine was separated from the fuselage. The outboard section of the right wing was separated. The left and right wings were partially separated from the fuselage. The main landing gear was separated from the fuselage.
According to the FAA inspector, high gusty wind conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N105LM
- Reported as
- Oakes J3 CUB
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- LM-1057
- Airframe hours
- 63
- Engine
- Rotax 503-CDI, 48 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald C. Oakes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 3, 1998 · 63 hours before
- Departed
- 4M4 · Clinton, AR
- Destination
- NONE
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
- 72
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 71 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RUE, 34 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.