Piper J3C accident near Friendswood, Texas, August 13, 2018
On August 13, 2018 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 1945 Piper J3C, registered N42218, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Friendswood, Texas (Polly Ranch 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to conduct a flight in an airplane that had a tailwheel with degraded locking pins, which allowed the tailwheel to unlock and swivel out of alignment and precluded the pilot from regaining directional control on the ground during a crosswind landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 2018 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Friendswood, Texas · Polly Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C 65, built 1945 · all J3Cs on the register
- Registration
- N42218 · registry record · serial 14464
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the personal flight, the commercial pilot completed several uneventful touch-and-go landings at two nearby airports, then returned and landed on the runway with a right crosswind at 9 knots. As the airplane slowed on the runway, it weathervaned into the wind and veered to the right. The pilot was unable to steer with the tailwheel, and the airplane exited the right side of the runway and collided with a tree. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the tailwheel locking mechanism pins were worn and degraded. The locking mechanism could not withstand even a small amount of side pressure; as pressure was applied to the tailwheel, the locking mechanism would unlock and the tailwheel would swivel out of alignment. It is likely that, due to the degraded locking pins, the tailwheel became unlocked before the final landing and was out of alignment during the landing roll, which precluded the pilot from regaining directional control. It is the pilot's responsibility to ensure that the airplane is in a safe condition for flight; in this case, the pilot did not ensure that the tailwheel locking mechanism was in good working condition before he decided to conduct the flight.
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Landing gear not configured during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,433 hours in all; 365 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 3,372 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 14, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,776 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors A75-8F (piston); 2,560 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7XS0 Friendswood TX at 3:24 pm
- Destination: 7XS0 Friendswood TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 2,700 ft by 22 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KLVJ, 4 miles away
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.
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 CEN18TA330.