Piper J-3C accident near Jackson, MS
On April 17, 1999, a Piper J-3C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Jackson, MS. 1 person died.
- Date
- April 17, 1999
- Place
- Jackson, MS
- Aircraft
- Piper J-3C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- —
- Position
- 32.289°N, 90.179°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001205X00533
NTSB summary
On April 17, 1999, about 1055 central daylight time, a Piper J3C, N38272, registered to a private individual, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 airshow flight, lost an airshow performer by falling to earth from an externally affixed rope ladder, at Hawkins Airport, Jackson, Mississippi. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane received no damage, the commercially-rated pilot was not injured, but the performer sustained fatal injuries. The flight originated from the same airport about 10 minutes before the accident. According to the pilot, after his takeoff, he let out the 12-foot rope ladder and made his first pass down runway 34 in coordination with the pickup truck to calibrate airplane-to-truck speeds. This was a planned maneuver with continual radio contact between the pilot and driver and no transfer took place. Having successfully accomplished the speed calibration pass, the pilot repositioned the airplane for the live transfer pass. He put the ladder on the truck platform within the first third of runway 34, and the truck driver radioed that the performer "was on". The pilot pulled the ladder and performer off of and clear of the truck, and was climbing through 100 feet agl, when he felt the airplane lurch. He did not actually see the fall or what may have caused it. After the accident, he stowed the ladder, landed, and taxied to the ramp. He stated that the performer was a close personal friend, and they had performed the transfer four or five times during practice that winter. He further stated that the performer had recentl
Probable cause
The failure of the airshow aerial performer to maintain a grip on the airplane's externally mounted rope ladder for unknown reasons and his failure to install and use a safety line resulting in his fall to earth. A factor in the accident was the sudden 'blossoming' by the air stream of the performer's jacket just before he lost his grip due to inadequate preflight securing.
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Browse: Mississippi · 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.
