Piper J4 Cub Coupe Accident In Virginia

NTSB Accident Brief
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A solo student pilot experienced an incident during the landing of a Piper J4 Cub Coupe.
  • The aircraft bounced, veered right, ground looped, exited the runway, and sustained substantial damage to its right wing lift strut after striking a guard rail.
  • The probable cause was identified as the student pilot's improper landing flare and subsequent failure to maintain directional control.
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Piper J4 Cub Coupe

Forest, Virginia/Injuries: 1

The solo student pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during final approach to land, he realized the airplane was too high, so he performed a forward slip. During touchdown, the airplane bounced twice and veered right. The airplane ground looped to the right, exited the runway, and the right main landing gear struck a guard rail. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing lift strut. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Probable cause(s): The student pilot’s improper landing flare and subsequent failure to maintain directional control during landing.

Note: The report republished here is from the NTSB and is printed verbatim and in its complete form. 

Isabel Goyer

A commercial pilot, Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.
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