Piper J3C-65 accident near Asheboro, NC
On June 4, 1997, a Piper J3C-65 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Asheboro, NC. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 4, 1997
- Place
- Asheboro, NC
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.709°N, 79.809°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X08188
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 4, 1997, about 1751 eastern daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N804DA, and a Cessna 305E, N305JH, both registered to the Polyspray Corporation, collided in-flight near Asheboro, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for either flights. The Piper airplane was substantially damaged and the private-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The Cessna airplane was destroyed and the commercial-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was also fatally injured. The time of departure of the Piper airplane from the owner's airstrip was about 2 minutes before the accident. The Cessna flight originated about 11 minutes earlier from the same departure airstrip as the Piper airplane. On a flight before the accident flight, both pilots were observed to land in the Cessna 305E airplane at the owner's airstrip where the father was observed to exit the airplane. The son then departed the airstrip in the Cessna airplane and orbited 2 to 3 times around the airstrip. During that time the father went to the house and called his other son and advised him that his brother was flying. The father did not mention to his son that he was planning on flying after the phone call ended. A witness near the accident site reported seeing the airplanes flying northeast bound side by side in the same direction then observed the wing tips of each airplane collide. He then observed the airplanes turn away from each other and lost sight of the airplanes. Another witness near the accident site reported first hearing the sound of
Probable cause
failure of the pilots in both airplanes to see and/or avoid a collision with each other.
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Browse: North Carolina · 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.
