Piper J3C accident near Chetek, WI
On May 24, 2017, a Piper J3C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Chetek, WI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 24, 2017
- Place
- Chetek, WI
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 45.279°N, 91.709°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170524X33247
Official records · CEN17FA196
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 24, 2017, about 1830 central daylight time, a Piper J3C 65 airplane, N35132, crashed into a river 3.5 mile southwest of Chetek, Wisconsin. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to a family partnership and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight plan had been filed for the flight. The local personal flight departed a private airstrip near Chetek about 1800. According to the passenger, he met the pilot at the private airstrip about 1750. When he arrived, the pilot was pulling the airplane out of the hangar for the flight. The passenger sat in the front seat and the pilot helped him to secure his lap belt. The pilot then sat in the rear seat. The passenger reported that after taking off, they "looped around the house" and then headed towards a pond where several friends were fishing. They flew over the pond and waved at their friends. The pilot stated that they would "go around" and fly over their friends again. The airplane started to turn and then went straight down. The passenger did not recall hearing anything abnormal with the engine. Just before the impact with the river the pilot stated, "This isn't good." According to two witnesses who were fishing on a pond near the river, the airplane flew overhead to the north. One witness reported that the door of the airplane was open and that the two
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane while flying at a low altitude, which resulted in the airplane exceeding the critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall.
More accidents in WI
- Douglas DC-9-14, Sep 6, 1985
- Beech 200, Nov 16, 1987
- Piper PA-28-140, Feb 3, 1991
- Piper PA-32R-300, Aug 19, 1990
- Cessna 421C, Jul 1, 2017
Browse: Wisconsin · 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.
