- Date
- March 31, 1990, 17:30 local (Apr 1, 1990, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Creston, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7363HPiper J-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900331010329A
- Case key
- 26781
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 inadvertent intrusion of wildlife on the runway environment and the pilot's application of brakes resulting in a nose down attitude and propeller strike.
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
A Piper J3 nosed down during an evasive maneuver during landing roll at a private airstrip. The pilot indicated that he had departed another private airstrip located about 7 miles from his destination and flew in the local area before approaching his destination. According to the pilot, during the landing touchdown on the runway threshold, a deer sprinted from a slope located adjacent to the runway startling him. The pilot applied the aircraft brakes. The nose of the aircraft pitched down allowing the propeller to strike the ground. The aircraft remained on the ground, spun to the left and departed the runway, substantially damaging the left wing. The pilot also indicated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the aircraft before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7363H
- Reported as
- Piper J-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20622
- Airframe hours
- 4,278
- Engine
- Continental C85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard W. Parker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 17, 1989 · 12 hours before
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 805 total · 168 in this make and model · 805 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.