Event CEN23LA378

2023-08-22 Cleburne, Texas, United States Airport · CPT None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N6581H

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER J4A

Year of manufacture

1939 · 84 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR C85 SERIES (85 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20050126

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A8ACF5

Registrant of record

COOK MIKE R

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N6581H Piper J4 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing in gusty crosswind conditions.

Factual narrative

While landing to runway 15 in gusty wind conditions, the pilot lost control of the tailwheel equipped airplane, it nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and lift strut. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures which would have precluded normal operation. The wind at the time of the accident was 100° at 13 knots with gusts to 20 knots. The calculated crosswind component was between 10 and 15 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA378.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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