Maule MX-7-180A accident near St. Marys, Georgia, November 4, 2000
On November 4, 2000 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Maule MX-7-180A, registered N3079Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Marys, Georgia (St. Marys 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 during landing, resulting in a sideward skid, a collapsed main landing gear strut, and wing strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2000 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- St. Marys, Georgia · St. Marys Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule MX-7-180A · all MX-7-180As on the register
- Registration
- N3079Z · registry record · serial 20007C
- 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's statement, while conducting stop and go landings, his third attempt resulted in the right wing being lifted by wind gusts, and by the time he had put in control pressures to maintain directional control on the runway, the gusts abated. The result was a right sideward skid that collapsed the right main landing gear, causing the right wing tip and propeller to strike the runway. There were no injuries, however the wing spar sustained bending.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 116 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 68 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 27, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 278 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 27, 2000; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C4F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4J6 St. Marys GA at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from JAX, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.