# Accident 19950812023179A: Piper STCJ3, Cedar Lake, MN, August 12, 1995

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 12, 1995, 14:45 local time
- Place: Cedar Lake, MN
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 44.5404° N, 93.5696° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=44.5404&lon=-93.5696&mi=10
- Aircraft: N70369, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N70369) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental A&C65 series (registry code 17003, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER STCJ3
- Reported engine: CONT O200A
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 3,700 total, 400 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI95LA277](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI95LA277) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19950812023179A

## Narrative

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

FLOATPLANE LOST CONTROL MANEUVERING TO LAND AFTER INDICATED POWER LOSS CIRCLING LAKE. IMPACTED TREES. (-23) AIRCRAFT MADE 2 SMALL CIRCLE PATTERNS OVER A PONTOON ON CEDAR LAKE. ACFT THEN HEADED NORTH LOSING ALTITUDE, HITTING TREES APPROX 1/8 MILE N OF LAKE. FLOATS WERE BROKEN OFF APPROX 18-24" FROM LEADING END INDICATING ACFT IMPACTED GROUND AT STEEP ANGLE, HITTING SOME SMALLER TREES. TAIL REMAINED RELATIVELY UNDAMAGED. CAST U-BEAM FLOAT MOUNT WAS SNAPPED CLEANLY OFF. INS. INVESTIGATOR STATED ENGINE HAD SEIZED, POSSIBLY BEFORE IMPACT. GAS TANKS STILL CONTAINED FUEL. WEATHER DID NOT APPEAR TO BE A FACTOR. WIND WAS ESE @ 10, GUSTS TO 16 KNOTS.

## 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 CHI95LA277](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI95LA277), Aug 12, 1995: Piper J3C-65 (N70369), New Prague, MN, destroyed. Probable cause: the failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed to permit control of the aircraft and to prevent an inadvertent stall. Contributing factors include gusty wind conditions and turbulence.

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.

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