- Date
- March 31, 1985, 16:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Blairsville, GA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N98760Piper J-3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850331010309A
- Case key
- 6767
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 private pilot and his student plt passenger were departing the a/p when the plt made a sharp turn downwind at about 100 ft of alt. The a/c mashed into the ground bounced and landed in small trees. The nearest reported winds were recorded at 19 KTS. The plt estimated the wind at about 10 KTS. The FBO reported a 20-30 ft knoll up wind of the impact point of the J-3.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98760
- Reported as
- Piper J-3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18991
- Airframe hours
- 2,212
- Engine
- Continental C85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James A. Szczepanski
- Registered owner
- John S. Lowe
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1984
- Departed
- 46A
- Destination
- 6A3 · Andrews-Murphy, NC
- Airport
- 46A · Blairsville, runway 23, 3,200 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 246 total · 51 in this make and model · 183 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 19 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TYS, 58 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.