# Accident 19980525010549A: Piper J3C65, Morris, IL, May 25, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 25, 1998, 20:05 local time
- Place: Morris, IL
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.3605° N, 88.4208° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.3605&lon=-88.4208&mi=10
- Aircraft: N24743, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N24743-2018-02-07) (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 J3C65
- Reported engine: CONT O200A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 850 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98FA172](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98FA172) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980525010549A

## Narrative

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

(.4)WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING AN AIRPLANE FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDES, 100 TO 300 FEET AGL, PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. ONE WITNESS REPORTED THE AIRPLANE WAS FLYING LIKE A CROPDUSTER.  THE AIRPLANE COMPLETED TWO CIRCLES BETWEEN 200 TO 300 FEET AGL OVER A FARMSTEAD WHERE FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE PILOT WERE HAVING A GATHERING.  THE AIRPLANE PROCEEDED WEST.  IT WAS OBSERVED CLIMBING UP AND THEN ENTERED A RIGHT BANK.  IT THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A RIGHT WING DOWN, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE IN A WHEAT FIELD.  THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS ABOUT 50 FEET LONG ON A 030 MAGNETIC HEADING.  THE PROPELLER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE PROPELLER SHAFT.  A WITNESS DESCRIBED THE MANEUVER AS SIMILAR TO A WINGOVER, BUT THE OTHER TURNS OBSERVED WERE DESCRIBED AS NORMAL BANKED TURNS.  NEITHER THE PILOT-IN COMMAND OF THE FLIGHT, NOR THE MANIPULATOR OF THE CONTROLS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT COULD BE DETERMINED.  THE FLIGHT CONTROLS AND ENGINE EXHIBITED CONTINUITY.

## 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 CHI98FA172](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98FA172), May 26, 1998: Piper J-3C (N24743), Morris, IL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during low altitude flight.

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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