- Date
- March 3, 1996, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Merritt Island, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3311BPiper PA-22/20-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960303004429A
- Case key
- 37988
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 inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions during the landing roll, which resulted in a loss of directional control and an inadvertent ground swerve. The crosswind was a related factor.
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 landing on runway 29 with a wind that was reported to be from 020 degrees at about 16-19 knots. After passing a clearing in trees on the right side of the runway, he lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane went off the runway, into a ditch, and nosed over.
Factual narrative
On March 3, 1996, about 1515 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-22/20-150, N3311B, crashed while landing at the Merritt Island Airport, Merritt Island, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot and three passengers were not injured. The flight originated about 1450 from the Merritt Island Airport.
The pilot stated that the wind was from about 350 degrees at 16-19 knots and he performed three touch-and-go landings on runway 29. On the last landing during the landing roll, he lost directional control of the airplane after passing a clearing of trees located on the right side of the runway. He applied full right aileron, left brake and rudder but the airplane veered off the right side of the runway onto grass. Unable to stop, the airplane continued into a ditch and nosed over. The pilot further stated that while the airplane was decelerating, he reduced the aileron input that was applied on landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3311B
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22/20-150 (PA-22/20-1)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-2126
- Airframe hours
- 2,764
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stuart A. Aston
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 22, 1995 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- COI
- Airport
- COI · Merritt Island, runway 29, 3,601 × 75 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 466 total · 232 in this make and model · 360 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 17 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COF, 7 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.
Other investigations on N3311B · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.