Piper J3L-65 accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, March 30, 2013
On March 30, 2013 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper J3L-65, registered N35252, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Daytona Beach, Florida (Spruce Creek 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 directional control during landing, resulting in a runway excursion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper decision to land with a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 2013 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · Spruce Creek Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3L-65 · all J3L-65s on the register
- Registration
- N35252 · registry record · serial 6246
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was participating in a spot landing competition at the airport. After the airplane’s main landing gear touched down on runway 5, the airplane began to drift slightly to the right. He applied left rudder and brake to realign the airplane with the runway and to counteract a “quartering tailwind.” He also advanced the throttle to assist in centering the airplane with the runway, but the engine “stuttered.” He retracted the throttle and continued to apply left rudder and aileron; however, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and impacted a hangar, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. Video taken by a spectator of the landing competition corroborates the pilot’s description of the accident. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An airport located about 5 miles east of the accident site recorded wind from 200 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
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
- 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 › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 22, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,822 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 2012; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor A-65A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7FL6 Daytona Beach FL at 5:55 pm
- Destination: 7FL6 Daytona Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 4,000 ft by 176 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from EVB, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on May 30, 2013. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of NTSB Interview with Pilot-in-command | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1: Digital Photograph Provided by FAA. View Taken Post Accident Depicting Damage | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 2: Digital Picture Provided by FAA. View Depicting Damage to the Outer Portion of the Right Wing and Aileron | 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 N35252 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
- N35252 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper J-3 Cub 3,804 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor A-65A 33 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Spruce Creek Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 985 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,699 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N35252 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/ERA13CA223.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.