- Date
- June 29, 1991, 09:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Brooker, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N98337Piper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910629025169A
- Case key
- 32892
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
Failure of the noncertificated pilot to obtain a weather briefing before departure & failure to maintain directional control after the precautionary landing. Contributing to the accident was lack of suitable terrain.
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 plt did not obtain a wx briefing before departure. The wx was clear at departure but the flt encountered fog when it was near the planned refueling destination. The flt proceeded away from the fog but the plt reported that the eng quit. After touchdown in a clearing, the acft yawed to the lt & collided with trees. A drug sniffing dog was transported to the accident site & alerted on the airplane but no drugs were found. An FAA inspector examined the acft later that afternoon & reported that the fuel tank contained aprx 1 gallon of fuel. The cockpit contained two full 5-gallon fuel containers. Vegetation was wrapped around the crankshaft aft of the propeller. The plt left the accident site & was seen later that morning at a pay phone by a sheriff's deputy but fled after seeing the deputy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98337
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18504
- Engine
- Continental A65, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Osborne, George
- Registered owner
- Osborne, George
- Departed
- ZPH · Zephyrhills, FL
- Destination
- Hilliard, FL
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
- 57
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GNV, 18 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.
Other investigations on N98337 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.