Piper J3C-65 N98813

Summary

On 27 July 2024 at about 16:00 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N98813 was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. 2 people were 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

27 July 2024 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Hicks Airfield (T67)

Coordinates

32.9307, -97.4123

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N98813

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

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

CEN24LA290

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s decision to allow a non-rated passenger to manipulate the flight controls during the takeoff which resulted in a loss of directional control during the takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during takeoff, the non-rated passenger manipulating the flight controls lost directional control of the airplane due to p-factor. The pilot attempted to correct with opposite rudder; however, the airplane ground looped to the left, impacted a runway lighting system, and came to rest in the grass. During the ground loop, the left wing struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.