Piper J3C N88025

Summary

On 8 July 2009 at about 23:45 local time, a Piper J3C registered N88025 was involved in an accident near South Charleston, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 July 2009 at 23:45

Classification

Accident

Location

South Charleston, West Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Mallory Airport (WV12)

Coordinates

38.3264, -81.7244

Aircraft

Piper J3C

Registration

N88025

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South Charleston → South Charleston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA390

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain control during the attempted go-around.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting takeoffs and landings while remaining in the airport traffic pattern. On the third attempted landing to runway 33, he was "blinded" by the setting sun during the landing flare. The airplane touched down on its left main landing gear and "bounced high." The pilot then attempted a go-around, but stalled and impacted trees to the side of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the engine firewall. Neither the pilot nor a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector, who examined the airplane after the accident, reported any aircraft malfunctions or mechanical anomalies. The nearest weather reporting facility, located approximately 8 miles northeast of the accident location, reported winds from 030 degrees at 3 knots at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.