- Date
- September 17, 1985, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6566HPiper J3 C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850917047089A
- Case key
- 24847
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
After departing pierce ferry, AZ the plt and his passenger flew east, up the Colorado river, at a low level towards kanab point. The plt's notes and charts show that the flt was to turn north for aprx 40 NM, with a refueling stop at kanab, UT. The bright yellow acft was last observed, by helicopter tour plts, low in the Canyon, heading east aprx 10 nmeast of kanab point. A flt plan was not filed and no one was aware of the missing acft. The plt's family notified FAA personnel the acft was missing four days after it's fatal flt. An unsuccesful aerial search was conducted. A military helicopter located the missing wreckage in a narrow Canyon aprx 3 NM east of the point at which it was last seen 13 days after it crashed into the Canyon wall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6566H
- Reported as
- Piper J3 C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19758
- Airframe hours
- 3,000
- Engine
- Continental C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Willard K. Martin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1984
- Departed
- Pierce Ferry, AZ
- Destination
- Kanab, UT
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 163 total · 103 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.