Ryan ST3KR accident near Port Townsend, Washington, August 16, 2020
On August 16, 2020 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1943 Ryan ST3KR, registered N62130, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Port Townsend, Washington (Jefferson County Intl 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, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with vegetation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2020 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Townsend, Washington · Jefferson County Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan ST3KR, built 1943
- Registration
- N62130 · registry record · serial 1812
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, while landing he elected to change from a three-point landing to a two-point landing. Upon touch down, the airplane veered left and departed the runway surface. The pilot elected to go around and "applied full right rudder and power." Concerned the airplane would not gain enough altitude to clear the obstacles, the pilot reduced engine power and landed off the runway surface. Subsequently, the airplane impacted vegetation and the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 692 hours in all; 39.5 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 648 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 16, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 21, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kenner Motors Inc R55 (piston); 3,500 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0S9 Port Townsend WA at 2:55 pm
- Destination: 0S9 Port Townsend WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from K0S9
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2020. 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 | Damage Photo | 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.
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.