What happened
On May 23, 1965, a Piper Cub J3C, registered as HB-OUO, was involved in an accident during a flight training session at a military airfield. During the approach, a student pilot attempted a landing that was not going according to plan. In an effort to assist and correct the student's approach, the flight instructor intervened.
The investigation
An investigation into the incident established the sequence of events leading to the aircraft's damage. The inquiry focused on the maneuvers performed by the flight instructor during the critical phase of the landing approach. The investigation confirmed that the occupants of the aircraft remained uninjured throughout the event.
Findings
Technical analysis of the accident revealed that the instructor's attempt to rectify the student's unsuccessful approach resulted in the aircraft entering a loss of airspeed. This loss of velocity caused the aircraft to drop or stall unexpectedly, leading to a hard impact. As a result of this sudden descent, the aircraft suffered severe damage to its landing gear, with the damage estimated at approximately 30 percent of the aircraft's total value.