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Atlas / NTSB / ERA15CA143

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ERA15CA143

2015-03-01 Clermont, Florida, United States Airport · NONE None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N717ML

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER J3C-65

Year of manufacture

1946 · 69 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19551101

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A9972C

Registrant of record

ALABAMA TAILWHEELS LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to land the airplane within the desired touchdown zone, resulting in a long landing and collision with a fence.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he was landing his airplane at his residence, on a 5-acre grass field, at the conclusion of a local, sightseeing flight. He landed long and could not stop the airplane before it collided with a security fence at an adjacent residence. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. The pilot reported 4,000 hours total time; however had accrued only 15 hours in the accident airplane and received a tail wheel endorsement about 3 weeks prior to the accident. The pilot reported that he was landing his airplane at his residence, on a 5-acre grass field, at the conclusion of a local, sightseeing flight. He landed long and could not stop the airplane before it collided with a security fence at an adjacent residence. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the right wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. The pilot reported 4,000 hours total time; however had accrued only 15 hours in the accident airplane and received a tail wheel endorsement about 3 weeks prior to the accident. 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).

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_ERA15CA143.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.