NTSB GAA19CA411 — 2019-07-14 · San Diego, California, United States

Current FAA registration · N92628

Make / Model: PIPER J3C-65
Year of manufacture: 1946 · 73 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19561107
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S ACD733

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N92628 Piper J3C None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tail wheel equipped airplane reported that, during his second touch-and-go landing, he felt a crosswind and overcorrected with the rudder input. The airplane subsequently exited the runway to the left and ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot reported that, during his second touch-and-go landing, the airplane encountered a crosswind. He overcorrected with rudder input, and the airplane then ground looped and exited the runway to the left. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA411.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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