Moe-Pietenpol AIRCAMPER A N3472
29 May 2010 · Early, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 29 May 2010 at about 22:45 local time, a Moe-Pietenpol AIRCAMPER A registered N3472, operated by Hays James B, was involved in an accident near Early, Texas, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 22:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Early, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- None
- Coordinates
- 31.7894, -98.9539
- Aircraft
- Moe-Pietenpol AIRCAMPER A
- Registration
- N3472
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Hays James B
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Ranger → Brownwood
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN10CA288
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable takeoff site.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The commercial pilot ran out of gas and safely landed his open-cockpit experimental airplane in a field. He obtained 4.5 gallons of fuel and noted that the field grass was low-to-mid ankle high and relatively thin, which would lengthen his take-off distance. During the take-off roll, at approximately 40 miles per hour, the left main landing gear wheel struck uneven terrain and sheered it off, which caused the left main landing gear strut to dig into the ground and flip the airplane over. As a result, the vertical fin and the engine mounts were substantially damaged. The gear failed at a flat weld that attached a metal plate to the landing gear through the brake assembly. It could not be determined when the weld had been done.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Mar 2010 | Robinson R22 BETA II | Cotulla, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 30 Apr 2010 | Piper PA-28-140 | Houston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jun 2010 | Piper PA-11 | Leander, Texas, United States | Campbell David | No injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 2010 | Beechcraft A36 | Slaton, Texas, United States | Gale Donald H | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 2010 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Brookshire, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Dec 2010 | Cirrus SR22 | Nacogdoches, Texas, United States | Martin Companies | Minor injuries | - |