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CEN15CA223

2015-05-03 · De Kalb, Illinois, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KDKB

Current FAA registration · N98656

Make / Model
PIPER J3C-65
Engine
CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES (85 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560515
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ADC494

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's loss of positional awareness while taxiing, resulting in a collision with a parked and unoccupied airplane. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's difficulty seeing over the nose of the airplane, his preoccupation with trying to control the airplane in the wind, and his minimal experience in the airplane.

Factual narrative

The pilot, who was in the rear tandem seat of the tailwheel airplane, had just landed and was taxing to the fuel pumps to refuel. He did not see the parked Beech A36 over the nose of his airplane and collided with the right wing of N4678A. The pilot said the accident could have been prevented if he had followed the taxi line on the tarmac. He also blamed his "less than effective brakes" that didn't help as he tried to control the airplane in the wind. This caused his attention to be diverted and he lost sight of the surrounding obstructions. The pilot had logged a total of 82 flight hours, of which 13 hours were in the accident airplane. The pilot, who was in the rear tandem seat of the tailwheel airplane, had just landed and was taxing to the fuel pumps to refuel. He did not see the parked Beech A36 over the nose of his airplane and collided with the right wing of N4678A. The pilot said the accident could have been prevented if he had followed the taxi line on the tarmac. He also blamed his "less than effective brakes" that didn't help as he tried to control the airplane in the wind. This caused his attention to be diverted and he lost sight of the surrounding obstructions. The pilot had logged a total of 82 flight hours, of which 13 hours were in the accident airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Physical-Sensory ability/limitation-Visual function-Pilot - C
  • F Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Ability to respond/compensate - F
  • F Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Braking capability-Capability exceeded - F
  • F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience w/ equipment-Pilot - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_CEN15CA223.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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