# Accident 20240619008249A: Piper J3C-65, Fresno County, CA, June 19, 2024

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 19, 2024, 14:30 local time
- Place: Fresno County, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.3102° N, 118.7198° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.3102&lon=-118.7198&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3627N, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3627N) (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 J3C-65
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,519 total, 9 in this make and model, 4 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR24LA207](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA207) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240619008249A

## Narrative

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

ON JUNE 19, 2024, THE PILOT PLANNED TO FLY A NEWLY ACQUIRED PIPER J3C-65 AIRPLANE FROM MEFFORD FIELD AIRPORT (TLR) TO PRESCOTT REGIONAL AIRPORT - ERNEST A LOVE FIELD (PRC). WHILE EN ROUTE FROM MODESTO CITY-COUNTY AIRPORT-HARRY SHAM FIELD (MOD) TO BISHOP AIRPORT (BIH) TO REFUEL, THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN RISING FASTER THAN EXPECTED AND COULD NOT MAINTAIN A SUFFICIENT CLIMB RATE TO CLEAR THE MOUNTAIN. ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE COURSE TO AVOID THE RISING TERRAIN, THE PILOT ENDED UP IN A NARROW CANYON WITH INSUFFICIENT SPACE TO MANEUVER. DESPITE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO TURN AROUND, THE PASS WAS TOO NARROW, AND THE PILOT WAS WORRIED ABOUT STALLING THE AIRPLANE IF HE ATTEMPTED TO TURN AROUND. REALIZING HE WOULDN'T CLEAR THE RIDGE, THE PILOT SEARCHED FOR A SPOT TO MAKE AN OFF-AIRPORT LANDING. HE SPOTTED AN AREA WITH A TREE, REDUCED HIS AIRSPEED, AND USED THE TREE TO SOFTEN THE IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE PILOT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL AIR RESCUE UNIT ARRIVED, AIRLIFTED THE PILOT, AND TRANSPORTED HIM TO A LOCAL MEDICAL FACILITY.

## 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 WPR24LA207](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA207), Jun 19, 2024: Piper J3C-65 (N3627N), Scheelite, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s inadvertent entry to a box canyon where the airplane could not outclimb the rising terrain.

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.