# Incident 19980307005869I: Piper J3C65, Iliamna, AK, March 7, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 7, 1998, 17:55 local time
- Place: Iliamna, AK
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 59.7568° N, 154.9111° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Iliamna, AK, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=59.7568&lon=-154.9111&mi=10
- Aircraft: N98875, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N98875) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER J3C65
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,600 total, 1,600 in this make and model
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980307005869I

## Narrative

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

NARRATIVE: DUE TO LOW LIGHT AND OVERCAST SKIES, PILOT MISJUDGED HEIGHT OF SNOW RIDGES ON LAKE SURFACE. UPON LANDING, AIRCRAFT BOUNCED HARD OFF OF SNOW BERM AND LANDED HARD, FOLDING FRONT TUBE ON RIGHT GEAR LEG. AIRCRAFT STOPPED, PILOT SHUT DOWN ENGINE. NO INJURIES, NO OTHER DAMAGE. FLEW BACK TO ILIAMNA AND BORROWED GEAR LEG FROM LOCAL AIRCRAFT SHOP, RETURNED TO SITE, INSTALLED GEAR LEG AND FLEW HOME. HE HAD A FRIEND FLYING ANOTHER PLANE THAT HAD LANDED ON THE SAME LAKE WITHOUT INCIDENT. PILOT SAID HE NORMALLY OVERFLEW A LAKE TO CHECK FOR OBSTRUCTIONS BUT DIDN'T DO IT THIS TIME.

## Other reports on N98875 (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20070818020179A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070818020179A), Aug 18, 2007: Piper J3C65 (N98875), Goose Bay, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) The instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR part 91 rules in day visual flight rules (VFR) conditions. The aircraft was operating in the traffic…

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.