# Accident 19850712030859A: Piper J3C65, Columbus, MT, July 12, 1985

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 12, 1985, 13:00 local time
- Place: Columbus, MT
- Airport: Columbus
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 45.7209° N, 109.2295° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.7209&lon=-109.2295&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6817H, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6817H-2012-11-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER J3C65
- Reported engine: CONT A658
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 450 total, 100 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN85FA179](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN85FA179) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19850712030859A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT BUZZED HIS HOUSE, THEN PULLED BACK INTO A STEEP CLIMB. AIRCRAFT STALLED, THEN SPUN TO GROUND IMPACT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN85FA179](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN85FA179), Jul 12, 1985: Piper J3C-65 (N6817H), Columbus, MT, substantial damage, 2 fatal

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.