Pilot Debrief

PIPER J3C-65 near Cynthiana, KY — 2022-08-03

Final reportERA22FA354
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Date
2022-08-03
Location
Cynthiana, KY, USA
Airport
0I8
Aircraft
PIPER J3C-65
Registration
N88550
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall while maneuvering to land with approaching convective activity.

NTSB narrative

The pilot and his passenger departed the airport for a personal flight but shortly after takeoff, the pilot elected to return to the airport. Witnesses stated that a thunderstorm was coming in from the south. Meteorological data showed an approaching area of convection with tops at 45,000 ft. The pilot attempted to return to the airport and did not fly a standard airport traffic pattern; instead, he approached from the north, unusually low over the tree line, crossing midfield, then made a sharp left turn to join the downwind traffic, before turning left again to land. As the airplane crossed over the runway perpendicular to the runway numbers, it suddenly entered a left descending spiral and impacted terrain adjacent to the runway. The postaccident examination of the engine and airframe, combined with the examination of the impact site, revealed no anomalous findings that would have precluded normal airplane or engine performance. It is likely that shortly after the pilot took off, he witnessed the approaching convective activity and attempted to rush back to the airport to land before the storm arrived, as evident from his nonstandard approach to landing. About the time of the accident, witnesses described a rapid wind shift accompanied by an increase in wind speed and a rapidly decreasing temperature. Witness observations were consistent with experiencing convective outflow from the nearby convective activity and are validated by the weather radar and data that suggest the convective cell was decaying and nearby convection was forming; weather conditions were changing rapidly, and the winds were likely shifting. As the pilot performed the low and nonstandard approach, he likely turned steeply to the left after crossing over the runway numbers; exacerbated by a left quartering crosswind during his turn, he exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack and entered a subsequent aerodynamic stall and loss of control.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to avoid the storm and return to the airport safely.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 12 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents12

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