# Accident 19971224039469A: Piper J3C65, Stoil, CA, December 24, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 24, 1997, 11:50 local time
- Place: Stoil, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.8592° N, 119.4610° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.8592&lon=-119.4610&mi=10
- Aircraft: N91915, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N91915-1998-09-01) (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 C858
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 280 total, 170 in this make and model, 29 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA054](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA054) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971224039469A

## Narrative

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

THE PILOT DESIRED TO BECOME AN AGRICULTURAL PILOT AND WAS PRACTICING LOW PASSES OVER A FIELD. THE PILOT FAILED TO SEE THREE POWER TRANSMISSION CABLES AND THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A 300 FOOT SPAN OF NUMBER 8 GAUGE COPPER CONDUCTOR SUSPENDED ABOUT 45 TO 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WITH ITS PROPELLER. AN IN FLIGHT FIRE ERUPTED IN THE COCKPIT AREA. THE FIRE WAS LOCATED AT A BREAK IN FUEL LINE FROM THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE TO THE ENGINE. THE PILOT SUFFERED SECOND BURNS TO HIS FACE, ARMS, AND LEFT LEG AND LANDED THE AIRPLANE HARD, COLLAPSEING ONE OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR. HE EGRESSED THE AIRPLANE UNAIDED WHILE THE FIRE SPREAD DESTROYING THE AIRPLANE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS WITH THE AIRPLANE BEFORE THE COLLISION WITH POWER TRANSMISSION CABLES.

## 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 LAX98LA054](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA054), Dec 24, 1997: Piper J3C-65 (N91915), Stoil, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate obstacle clearance and his inadequate visual outlook.. Factors were a severed fuel line which resulted in an in-flight fire, which diminished the pilot's…

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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