# Accident 20040721018499A: Piper J3C65, Palmer, AK, July 21, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 21, 2004, 16:00 local time
- Place: Palmer, AK
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 61.3433° N, 148.8233° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.3433&lon=-148.8233&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3458N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3458N-2015-05-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental C90 series (registry code 17009, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c90-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER J3C65
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC04CA082](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC04CA082) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040721018499A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON JULY 21, 2004, MR. RONALD HILLS WAS THE PILOT IN COMMAND OF N3458N A PA-J3. MR. HILLS DEPARTED VFR FROM A REMOTE STRIP LOCATED AT N61.28W 148.50. DURING THE CLIMB AT APPROXIMATELY 500 AGL FLYING INTO A 20 MPH WIND, HE MADE A TURN AGAINST A CANYON WALL WHERE HE ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT OF 500 FPM FROM WHICH HE SAID HE COULD NOT GET OUT OF AND SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED INTO THE TOPS OF SOME TREES.

## 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 ANC04CA082](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC04CA082), Jul 22, 2004: Piper J3C (N3458N), Palmer, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadequate evaluation of the wind conditions which resulted in an encounter with a downdraft during the takeoff/initial climb, and subsequent collision with trees and terrain. Factors…

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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