No fatalities

6 Sep 2009: PIPER J3C-65 — William J. Ward — Mondovi, WI

Mondovi, WI, United States

On 6 Sep 2009, a PIPER J3C-65 operated by William J. Ward was involved in an aviation accident near Mondovi, WI. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed during the traffic pattern, leading to an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A Piper J3C-65 stalled during a landing pattern maneuver and struck the ground short of the runway.

What happened

On September 6, 2009, a Piper J3C-65, registration N3549W, was being operated by the pilot during a session of takeoff and landing practice. While the aircraft was executing a turn from the base leg to the final approach, the left wing stalled. The aircraft subsequently impacted the terrain short of the approach end of the runway in Mondovi, Wisconsin.

At the time of the accident, weather conditions were reported as Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 10 statute miles and winds from 190 degrees at 6 knots. The pilot noted that the aircraft was heavier than usual and that the day was hot and humid. There were no injuries resulting from the accident.

Probable cause

The pilot failed to maintain sufficient airspeed during the traffic pattern, leading to an aerodynamic stall.

Contributing factors

Airspeed — Not attained/maintainedPilot