# Accident 20170524008929A: Piper J3C-65, Chetek, WI, May 24, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 24, 2017, 18:34 local time
- Place: Chetek, WI
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 45.2794° N, 91.7092° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.2794&lon=-91.7092&mi=10
- Aircraft: N35132, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N35132) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER J3C-65
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR C85-12
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 188 total, 41 in this make and model, 24 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN17FA196](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17FA196) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170524008929A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO RIVER AT 45 DEGREE NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE.  ENGINE WAS DETERMINED TO BE OPERATING NORMALLY PRIOR TO ACCIDENT AND CONTROL SURFACES WERE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY AS CONCLUDED THRU INVESTIGATION FINDINGS.  PILOT FATAL DUE TO DROWNING - SWIFT RIVER CURRENT PRESENT.   SHOULDER HARNESSES WERE NOT WORN BY OCCUPANTS. SEATBELTS WERE NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED.

## 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 CEN17FA196](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17FA196), May 24, 2017: Piper J3C (N35132), Chetek, WI, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while flying at a low altitude, which resulted in the airplane exceeding the critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.

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.