Piper J3C-65 N41317

Summary

On 16 July 2023 at about 22:36 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N41317 was involved in an accident near Princeton, 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.

Date

16 July 2023 at 22:36

Classification

Accident

Location

Princeton, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.1929, -96.4912

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N41317

Category

Airplane

Year built

1941

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Anna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA309

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s decision to attempt a takeoff from an unimproved field which resulted in an impact with an obstacle.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot attempted to depart from a rough grass field. The student pilot reported that the airplane did not climb as expected and during a turn, the airplane struck a pipe protecting a gas meter. He landed the airplane to avoid trees in his flight path. During the precautionary landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. During an interview with the Federal Aviation Administration inspector assigned to the accident the student pilot did not allude to any mechanical issues with the airplane. The student pilot stated further that he did not have enough room for the takeoff. It was estimated that the field length was about 700 feet.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.