Piper J3C-65 N70643

Summary

On 22 August 2021 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N70643 was involved in an accident near Adrian, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 August 2021 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Adrian, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Private (PVT)

Coordinates

38.4343, -94.4429

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N70643

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

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

CEN21FA380

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot’s wife reported that he departed from their private grass runway; she did not know his destination or his expected return time and became concerned when the pilot did not return by dark. The airplane was located the next morning in the middle of a cornfield about 300 yards northwest of the runway. The airplane came to rest in a nose-low, tail-high attitude. The wings and fuselage sustained substantial damage. Flight control continuity was confirmed throughout the airframe. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The orientation of the wreckage was consistent with impact with terrain in an aerodynamic stall. Based on negative postmortem ethanol testing results in vitreous and urine, the ethanol detected in the pilot’s blood was likely from sources other than ingestion. It is unlikely that ethanol contributed to the accident. Based on negative postmortem opioid testing results in femoral blood, it is unlikely that the pilot’s opioid use contributed to the accident. The pilot had cardiovascular disease, but available evidence is insufficient to determine whether he was impaired or incapacitated by that disease, and whether a medical condition contributed to the accident could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.