Piper J3C-65 N5050R

Summary

On 25 July 2025 at about 17:16 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N5050R was involved in an accident near Dillingham, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

25 July 2025 at 17:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Dillingham, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Dillingham Airport (DLG)

Coordinates

59.0386, -158.5118

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N5050R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1945

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC25FA079

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On July 25, 2025, about 0916 Alaska daylight time, a Piper J3C-65 airplane, N5050R, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Dillingham, Alaska. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to witnesses, shortly after performing a touch-and-go landing on the gravel surface adjacent to Runway 19 at the Dillingham Airport, as the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 200 ft above the runway, the engine experienced a momentary loss of power, followed by an engine restart. The nose of the airplane then pitched up, slowed, and the left wing stalled, resulting in an uncontrolled, nose-down, vertical descent. During the descent, the airplane engine reportedly experienced another loss of power. The airplane impacted the runway approximately 680 feet northeast of the departure end of Runway 19 and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. (See figure 1) Figure 1. Accident site location on the Dillingham Airport. A witness captured a portion of the accident sequence on a cell phone video. See figures 2A and 2B. Figure 2A. Accident airplane on initial climb from Runway 19 (Provided by Alaska State Troopers) Figure 2B. Accident airplane during the uncontrolled descent (Provided by Alaska State Troopers) The wreckage has been moved to a secure location and a detailed NTSB examination is pending.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.