Piper J3C-65 accident near Mount Pleasant, Texas, May 30, 2010
On May 30, 2010 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Piper J3C-65, registered N88117, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Mount Pleasant, Texas (Glover Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while turning resulting in a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2010 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Pleasant, Texas · Glover Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N88117 · no longer on the register · serial 15730
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, the pilot noticed the tachometer reading 2,100 RPM and the airspeed was 45-50 miles per hour. He felt the climb performance was less than normal to reach 500 feet above the ground (AGL), where he began a climbing right turn to the crosswind. During the turn he noticed the altitude decreasing, so he tried to recover from the descent. At about 400 feet AGL he felt the airplane sink and start to stall in what he believed was a downdraft. He lowered the nose and started to recover from the stall when the airplane impacted trees. Density altitude was 2,867 feet. No anomalies were found with the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2009
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: XS70 Mount Pleasant TX
- Destination: XS70 Mount Pleasant TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded; a few clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.