- Date
- July 23, 1985, 20:05 local (Jul 24, 1985, 00:05 UTC)
- Place
- Oakland, MD
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N70336Piper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 11138
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 acft had been observed on the day of this flt and on the 'past couple of days' to be flying low and very slow at tree top level. Ground witnesses heard the sounds of the crash but could not see the acft at the time. The acft impactedthe ground in a near vertical attitude. The eng was operating under low pwr with the magneto switch selected to the right magneto. Both magnetos contained oil and two high tension terminal were broken in the left magneto.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70336
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17317
- Airframe hours
- 945
- Engine
- Continental A65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- H. A. Martin
- Registered owner
- Allen Lee Rohrbaugh
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 2, 1985
- Departed
- Oakland, MD
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
- 52
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 200 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point -0 °F