- Date
- November 24, 1990, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mer Rouge, LA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N6100HPiper PA-J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901124051819A
- Case key
- 23221
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
An inadvertent stall at an altitude too low to allow for recovery.
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
Witnesses observed the airplane successfully takeoff from the 2,600 foot long strip and very shortly thereafter enter a steep climb. The airplane then went into what witnesses described as a wingover type maneuver, which was followed by ground inpact in a near vertical dive. Total flight time was estimated at 2-3 minutes. The front set occupant was a student pilot with about 141 hours, 80 of which were in this make and model, who had soloed in the airplane just prior to the accident flight. The rear seat occupant was a commercial pilot with an expired medical certificate. He was also a previous owner of the airplane and had logged most of his flight time in that airplane. It is unknown which person was manipulating the controls at the time of the loss of control or impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6100H
- Reported as
- Piper PA-J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19258
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Earnie L. Lewis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 400 total · 190 in this make and model · 350 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MLU, 23 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.