19811025069419A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper J3 · Leesburg, VA · October 25, 1981

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: October 25, 1981 · 13:00 local
Place: Leesburg, VA
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N42839
Reported as: Piper J3
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 231 total146 in this make and model7 in the last 90 days

N42839Registered now · Piper J3C-65S/N 15157 · Built 1945 Airframe modelPiper J3C-65 Engine modelContinental A-65 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Continued VFR flight into IMC. Low clouds and visibility made it necessary to land in a field. Overshot, hit trees.

As the FAA filed it

CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC. LOW CLOUDS AND VISIBILITY MADE IT NECESSARY TO LAND IN A FIELD. OVERSHOT, HIT TREES.