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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2012 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Norwalk, Ohio · Norwald-Huron County · cases near this airport · 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
5 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Brake Test | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Wreckage Release | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1. Airplane in Hangar After Accident | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 2. Airplane After Hangar Damage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N721R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N721R on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Ryan Aeronautical ST3 117 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Ryan Aeronautical 168 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Ranger 6-440-C5 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Norwalk/Huron County · nearest airport
- Geauga County · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,531 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N721R 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12LA369.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.