- Date
- July 30, 1999, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sanger, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N42378Piper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 23, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990730010249A
- Case key
- 46934
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 failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain clearance with the power line.
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 left main landing gear strut contacted a power line, and subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground. The airplane had just undergone an annual inspection, and the pilot was flying the airplane back to his private grass airstrip. When the airplane was 2 miles from the airstrip, the pilot descended to what he 'thought was a safe VFR altitude.' Subsequently, the airplane contacted the power line, impacted the ground, and came to rest inverted.
Factual narrative
On July 30, 1999, at 1130 central daylight time, a Piper J3C-65 airplane, N42378, was substantially damaged when it impacted power lines and the ground near Sanger, Texas. The airline transport rated pilot, owner and sole occupant of the airplane, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from the Decatur Municipal Airport, Decatur, Texas, at 1120.
According to the 15,000-hour pilot, the airplane had just undergone an annual inspection, and he was flying the airplane back to his private grass airstrip. While flying over fields approximately 2 miles from his airstrip, he descended to what he "thought was a safe VFR altitude." He stated that the terrain in the area is "fairly flat ranch land with no houses and no trees." The left main landing gear strut contacted a power line which extended from FM 455 to a house. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the ground approximately 50 yards from the power lines, flipped over, and came to rest inverted.
Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed damage to the wings, fuselage, engine firewall, landing gear, and propeller.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42378
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 14633
- Engine
- Continental 65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James A. Glass
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 29, 1999 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- 8F7 · Decatur, TX
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
- 54
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 150 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 142 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DFW
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.