Piper J3C-65 N42719

Summary

On 13 October 1996 at about 16:20 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N42719 was involved in an accident near Springfield, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 October 1996 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Springfield, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Private Strip

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N42719

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD97LA006

1 person died.

failure of the pilot to maintain obstacle clearance, while maneuvering at low altitudes. A related factor was the quartering tail wind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot made a low pass over the airstrip, and while attempting to climb, the airplane clipped a tree at the end of the airstrip. It then entered a right spiral and impacting the ground. One eye witness stated that the purpose of the low pass was to allow the passenger's wife to take pictures from the ground. The left wing was reported to be detached from the airplane before impact with the ground, and the engine was heard running until impact. The pilot had a left quartering tailwind of about 13 knots while conducting this low pass.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.