- Date
- July 7, 2002, 09:50 local (13:50 UTC)
- Place
- Andover, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9264Piper J3-C65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20020707015869A
- Case key
- 55149
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 flight instructor's delayed remedial action, and the private pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.
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 private pilot was receiving training for tailwheel endorsement. Near the end of the flight, and after completing a landing, the private pilot climbed the airplane to 600 feet and turned crosswind. At 700 feet, the flight instructor reduced power to simulate an engine failure. The private pilot "kept pulling the nose up," and the flight instructor told him three times to "keep the nose down." The private pilot turned the airplane 90 degrees, towards the airstrip. He let the airplane "get too slow and low," and the flight instructor took control. As he did so, the airplane stalled and entered a right spin. The flight instructor recovered from the spin about 30 feet above the ground, added power, and saw trees ahead. He turned the airplane steeply to avoid the trees, and during the rollout from the steep turn, the airplane's left wing impacted the ground.
Factual narrative
On July 7, 2002, about 0950 eastern daylight time, a Piper J3-C65, N9264, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground near Trinca Airport (13N), Andover, New Jersey. The certificated flight instructor was seriously injured, and the certificated private pilot received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. No flight plan had been filed for the local instructional flight, which was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The private pilot was receiving training for a tailwheel endorsement.
According to the flight instructor, after completing a landing, the private pilot climbed the airplane to 600 feet above the ground, and turned crosswind. At 700 feet, the flight instructor reduced power to simulate an engine failure. The private pilot "kept pulling the nose up," and the flight instructor told him three times to "keep the nose down." The private pilot turned the airplane 90 degrees, towards the airstrip. He then let the airplane "get too slow and low," and the flight instructor took control of the airplane. As he did so, the airplane stalled and entered a right spin.
The flight instructor recovered from the spin about 30 feet above the ground, added power, and saw trees ahead. He turned the airplane steeply to avoid trees. However, during the rollout from the steep turn, the airplane's left wing impacted the ground.
The flight instructor further added that the accident occurred near the end of the instructional flight, and that the maneuver was the last one before the final landing. He also noted that the private pilot had successfully completed the maneuver three times during the same flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9264
- Reported as
- Piper J3-C65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17062
- Airframe hours
- 2,500
- Engine
- Continental C65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Andover Aero, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2002 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- 13N · Andover, NJ
- Airport
- 13N · Trinca
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
- 42
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- November 30, 2001
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 762 total · 145 in this make and model · 645 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 236 total · 11 in this make and model · 134 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- MMU, 20 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 5, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 303 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.