- Date
- October 3, 1984, 10:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Milledgeville, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N38685Piper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841003053499A
- Case key
- 6681
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt departed for the intended destination, but was unable to find the arpt due to fog. After landing at another nearby arpt, he found no av-gas available. He then elected to return to his original destination, but experienced a total power loss due to fuel exhaustion aprx 7 mi short of the arpt. A forced landing was made in a plowed field. During the landing roll, the nose gear wheel sank in soft soil & the acft nosed over. The elapsed time from initial takeoff until the accident occurred was 45 min. The plt estimated his fuel remaining at the time of initial takeoff to be 72 minutes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38685
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7193
- Airframe hours
- 3,600
- Engine
- Continental A-65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Walter A. Clayton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 30, 1983 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- 3J7 · Sandersville, GA
- Destination
- MLJ · Milledgeville, GA
- Airport
- Baldwin City
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 431 total · 59 in this make and model · 336 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.