Probable cause
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing.
NTSB analysis
The pilot and a passenger flew to a privately-owned airport. The pilot circled the airport and made a low pass to view the runway condition. The pilot noticed that the turf runway had not been mowed recently and consisted of tall grass; however, he did not see any standing water. After the pilot landed and rolled down the runway, he encountered a soft surface with standing water, which was not visible from the air. The airplane’s main gear sank into the soft surface, which caused the airplane to nose over and come to rest on the top of the wings and vertical stabilizer. Both occupants were able to exit the airplane with no injuries. The airplane received substantial damage to the left wing spar and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09CA334 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 6, 2009
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Alamana, Florida
- Nearest airport
- Leffler Airport (FA63)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper J3C-65
- N-number
- N42351
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.