Piper J3C-65 N30236
4 October 1997 · Trenton, Georgia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 October 1997 at about 16:53 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N30236 was involved in an accident near Trenton, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:53
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Trenton, Georgia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Praters Landing
- Coordinates
- 34.8698, -85.5000
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65
- Registration
- N30236
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Summerville
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA98LA004
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
failure of the pilot to abort the takeoff, when he observed an indication of less than full engine power on the tachometer from the beginning of the takeoff roll. Factors relating to the accident were: the inadequate preflight planning and preparation by the pilot by failing to know the available runway remaining for an abort maneuver, faulty reading on the tachometer, and trees near the end of the runway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll, he forced the aircraft off the runway, because he mistook a midspan crest on the runway as the departure end, and because other similar aircraft became airborne at that particular point. The premature rotation caused the aircraft to become airborne in ground-effect, but it would not climb. It settled into trees about 100 yards beyond the airport boundary. The pilot further stated that he never saw over 2050 rpm throughout the takeoff run. The tachometer was subsequently found to be reading higher than actual engine rpm; at an indicated 2050 rpm, actual rpm was approximately 1650. The type-certificate data sheet indicated the redline was at 2350 rpm and minimum static was 1950 rpm. The pilot stated that he installed the tachometer sometime between 'Sun' n' Fun' of 1996 (where he thought he bought the tachometer) and 11/25/96 (when the aircraft was annual-inspected).
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper J3C accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 1997 | Piper J3C-65 | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 1997 | Piper J3C-65 | Leesburg, Florida, United States | Jett Riley | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Aug 1997 | Piper J3C-65 | Castle Rock, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 1997 | Piper J3C-65 | Stoil, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 1997 | Piper J3C-65 | Asheboro, North Carolina, United States | Jimmie R. Peddycord | Fatal | 2 |
| 4 Aug 1997 | Piper J3C-65 | Danbury, Connecticut, United States | John A Rolls | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 1997 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Augusta, Georgia, United States | Edwin A. Deas | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 1997 | Cessna 310K | Bainbridge, Georgia, United States | Pierce M Godwin | No injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 1997 | Cessna 152 | MacOn, Georgia, United States | Southeastern School of Aero. | Minor injuries | - |
| 16 May 1997 | Cessna 150K | Ball Ground, Georgia, United States | Firefox Aviation, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 1997 | Cessna 172M | Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States | The Flight School | No injuries | - |
| 24 Aug 1997 | Kolb FIRESTAR-II | Albany, Georgia, United States | Ronald Barthelemy | Serious injuries | - |