- Date
- August 24, 1996, 19:30 local (Aug 25, 1996, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mapleton, UT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7127PPiper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960824024309A
- Case key
- 42454
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 improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 had departed the Provo airport for a flight to a cow pasture. During a flare to land at the cow pasture, the pilot stalled the aircraft about ten feet above the ground. Subsequently, the aircraft landed hard on the right main gear and was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
On August 24, 1996, about 1930 mountain daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N7127P, collided with terrain during an off airport landing in a pasture. The airplane, registered to the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot reported that he was intending to land in a pasture when he stalled about ten feet above the ground and landed hard on the right main gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7127P
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3398058
- Airframe hours
- 2,565
- Engine
- Continental C85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bridge, Rodney J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 28, 1995 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- PVU · Provo, UT
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 150 in this make and model · 920 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.