Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR accident near Norwalk, Ohio, June 8, 2012
On June 8, 2012 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1942 Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR, registered N721R, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Norwalk, Ohio (Norwald-Huron County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane while landing in a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2012 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Norwalk, Ohio · Norwald-Huron County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR, built 1942 · all ST3KRs on the register
- Registration
- N721R · registry record · serial 1840
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, upon touchdown, the tailwheel-equipped airplane's right brake "locked up" and the airplane then veered off the right side of the runway. The airplane struck a 3-foot-wide drainage ditch about 66 feet from the edge of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The examination of the accident site revealed runway skid marks and a wingtip scrape, which indicated that the right wheel was not on the ground until shortly before it contacted the ditch. The right brake successfully passed the acceptance test procedure with no visual indication of fluid leakage around the piston. The pilot had 997 total flight hours with 1 hour logged in the accident airplane. The accident flight was the first flight he had in the airplane, and it was his first landing in the accident airplane. The surface weather observation at an airport located about 18 nautical miles from the accident site indicated the wind was 320 degrees at 9 knots. The airplane landed on the runway at 280 degrees, which indicates that a 6-knot crosswind existed at the time of the accident.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 997 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Last flight review: September 2, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,946 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 14, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,885 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ranger 6-440-C5 (piston); 252 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K7G8 Middleton OH at 4:30 pm
- Destination: K5A1 Norwalk OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,210 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from LPR, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N721R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN12LA369.