Piper J3C N70803 accident near Vine Grove, Kentucky

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper visual lookout during the approach, which resulted in inadequate clearance from a tree.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and a passenger departed in a tailwheel airplane on a local flight with the pilot flying the airplane from the rear seat. The pilot reported that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions through final approach to the airport, which was the pilot’s last recollection. The passenger did not recall the engine making any unusual sounds or any anomalies in the airplane's maneuverability during the flight. During the approach, the airplane had a nose-up pitch attitude, and a witness heard and observed the airplane flying low on the approach path to the airport. The passenger saw a tree and shouted to the pilot, then the airplane hit the tree, flew through it, and crashed.

Postaccident examination of the airplane and the airplane's engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

A review of the temperature and dew point about the time of the accident revealed that the airplane was operated in the moderate carburetor icing range at cruise power or serious carburetor icing range at descent power. However, based on the passenger's and witnesses' observations of no anomalies with the engine and that the airplane was flying low, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain sufficient visual lookout during the approach and impacted the tree.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN19LA184 for the full record.