- Date
- March 5, 2005, 13:40 local (18:40 UTC)
- Place
- Andover, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N87955Piper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 28, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050305002059A
- Case key
- 61106
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 receiving instruction's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Factors in the accident were the flight instructors delayed remedial action, and crosswind.
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 certificated pilot (receiving tailwheel instruction) executed a landing to runway 03, and after the airplane touched down, it drifted left. The flight instructor joined him on the controls, and added power and right rudder; however, the left main landing gear struck a 2 1/2-foot snow bank. The airplane swung to the left, the right main landing gear then struck a snow bank, and the airplane nosed over. Winds were 10 degrees from the right, at 6 knots.
Factual narrative
On March 5, 2005, about 1340 eastern standard time, a Piper J3C-65, N87955, received substantial damage when it nosed over while landing at Aeroflex-Andover Airport (12N), Andover, New Jersey. The certificated flight instructor and certificated commercial pilot receiving instruction were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the flight instructor, the pilot receiving tailwheel instruction was executing a landing on runway 03. After the airplane touched down, it started to drift left. "As correction control inputs were being made [both pilots were then on the controls], the left main gear struck a 2 1/2-foot snow bank, causing the aircraft to swing quickly to the left.." The right main landing gear then struck the snow bank, and the airplane nosed over.
The weather reported at the airport, at 1354, included winds from 040 degrees at 6 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N87955
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15573
- Airframe hours
- 2,700
- Engine
- Continental C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Calvin Thomas
- Registered owner
- Breeze Hopper LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 1, 2005 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- 12N · Andover, NJ
- Airport
- 12N · Aeroflex-Andover, runway 03, 1,981 × 50 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2003
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,094 total · 160 in this make and model · 300 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2003
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 250 total · 0 in this make and model · 147 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 6 knots
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.84 inHg
- Observed at
- 12N
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N87955 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.