Piper J-3 N32737

Summary

On 17 December 1997 at about 22:20 local time, a Piper J-3 registered N32737 was involved in an accident near Valley Center, Kansas, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 December 1997 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Valley Center, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Brand Farm

Coordinates

37.8293, -97.3701

Aircraft

Piper J-3

Registration

N32737

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98LA071

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's excessive pull up after lift-off and failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb, which resulted in a stall and collision with wooded terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, he felt and heard what he thought was the limbs of nearby trees brushing the right wingtip. He reported, 'I now know the shudder of a near stall caused the door window at my right to rattle. My reflex action was a left turn, the sure way to start a spin from a pre-stall attitude.' The airplane rotated to the right and cart-wheeled off the right wingtip and hit trees. The airplane came to rest in an inverted position with the tail resting vertically in the trees. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented by, 'decreasing the climb angle sooner after liftoff.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.