- Date
- February 22, 1998, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chandler, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N46PSPiper J3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 1, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980222001699A
- Case key
- 30038
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 directional control of the airplane.
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 pilot was practicing touch-and-goes and lost directional control of the airplane during rollout from the last attempt. The pilot said that as the airplane veered off to the left side of the runway he attempted to correct the drift by applying full right rudder and full throttle. Before he was able to regain directional control of the airplane, the left gear struck a large bush on the edge of the runway.
Factual narrative
On February 22, 1998, at 1400 hours mountain standard time, a Piper J3, N46PS, ground looped and subsequently collapsed a main landing gear strut during landing at the Chandler Memorial Airfield, Chandler, Arizona. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, and the commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight originated at Steller Airpark in Chandler about 1315.
The pilot reported that during his rollout from the last touch-and-go, he lost directional control of the aircraft. He said that the airplane veered to the left and he applied full right rudder and full throttle in an effort to regain directional control. Before he was able to regain directional control of the airplane, the left gear leg struck a large bush on the edge of the runway. The collision with the bush bent the gear and forced the left wing and propeller into the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46PS
- Reported as
- Piper J3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22261
- Airframe hours
- 1,844
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Daniel S. Perry
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 11, 1997 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- P19 · Steller Airpark, AZ
- Destination
- L07 · AZ
- Airport
- L07 · Chandler Memorial, runway 29, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,362 total · 248 in this make and model · 1,316 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 1 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CHD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.