Piper J3C-65 accident near Seeley Lake, MT
On July 4, 1994, a Piper J3C-65 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Seeley Lake, MT. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 4, 1994
- Place
- Seeley Lake, MT
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 47.240°N, 113.530°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001206X01857
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 4, 1994, approximately 1558 hours mountain daylight time (mdt), a Piper J3C-65, N88114, registered to and being flown by Lewis W. Lindemer, was destroyed during an inflight collision with terrain while maneuvering near Seeley Lake, Montana. The pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The flight, which was conducted to dispense ping pong balls to children at the Seeley Lake elementary school, was to have been operated in accordance with the requirements set forth in 14CFR91, and originated from the Seeley Lake Airport shortly before the accident. A copy of a VHS format videotape of the accident was provided by the Missoula County Sheriff's Department. The tape began with the aircraft several hundred feet above ground at a relatively slow speed and commencing a right turn and descent. Throughout most of the descending turn the left aileron was observed deflected upwards to varying degrees and the right aileron was observed deflected in the opposite direction. The aircraft's engine could be heard throughout the descending turn as well. There were numerous witnesses to the accident, several of which were interviewed by the Missoula County Sheriff's Department. They reported observing the aircraft's wings "swaying from side to side" (refer to statement of Tammy Walker) and the aircraft flying low and slow with a high angle of attack just before the crash (refer to statement of Jerome Teafoe). PERSONNEL INFORMATION Records maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated th
Probable cause
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN FLYING AIRSPEED.
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Browse: Montana · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
