- Date
- October 18, 1987, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Clarks Hill, SC
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N98806Piper J-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871018060049A
- Case key
- 7660
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 aircraft was circling about 200 feet above the trees when the pilot began a climbing turn. As he leveled the wings the aircraft began to descend. The pilot applied full power and eased forward on the control stick lowering the aircraft nose slightly. When he pulled back on the flight control the aircraft continued to descend into the trees. The pilot reported he was only able to move the control stick through aprx 50% of its travel when he attempted to level the aircraft. He felt that the bottom rear seat cushion may have slid forward, as it had previously, restricting the control stick travel.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98806
- Reported as
- Piper J-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19048
- Airframe hours
- 11,334
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Augusta Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Augusta Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Departed
- DNL · Augusta, GA
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
- 25
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 853 total · 60 in this make and model · 152 as pilot in command · 194 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAV, 15 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.