On April 27, 2000, a Piper J3C-65 (registration N146TM) operated by Thomas Noonan was involved in an aviation accident near Healdsburg, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Failure of the flight review pilot to compensate for the crosswind and maintain flying speed during takeoff. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During climb-out, an airplane encountered a crosswind approximately 30 feet above the runway. The pilot lost runway alignment, and the CFI took control but stalled after raising the nose to avoid a windsock. The airplane impacted a grassy area near the runway.
Event Description
The runway is situated on a plateau. A windsock is located at the departure end of the runway on a 30-foot steel pole.
During the climb-out, the airplane encountered a crosswind approximately 30 feet above the runway. Due to the unfavorable wind condition, the pilot was unable to maintain runway alignment and noted that the airplane did not gain altitude.
Pilot Actions
The CFI took the control yoke and attempted to maintain airspeed and altitude while trying to avoid a vineyard. The CFI noted that the airplane was running out of suitable airport environment and terrain to make a forced landing and was not able to climb. In order to avoid the windsock, the CFI had to raise the nose.
Outcome
The airplane stalled and impacted a grassy area about 100 feet from the runway edge and about 20 feet below the airport.