Piper J-3C accident near Morris, Illinois, May 26, 1998
On May 26, 1998 at about 1:05 am local time, a Piper J-3C, registered N24743, was destroyed in an accident near Morris, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during low altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1998 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Morris, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J-3C · all J-3Cs on the register
- Registration
- N24743 · no longer on the register · serial 3415
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported seeing an airplane flying at low altitudes, 100 to 300 feet agl, prior to the accident. One witness reported the airplane was flying like a cropduster. The airplane completed two circles between 200 to 300 feet agl over a farmstead where family members of the pilot were having a gathering. The airplane proceeded west. It was observed climbing up and then entered a right bank. It then impacted the ground in a right wing down, nose low attitude in a wheat field. The wreckage path was about 50 feet long on a 030 magnetic heading. The propeller had separated from the propeller shaft. A witness described the maneuver as similar to a wingover, but the other turns observed were described as normal banked turns. Neither the pilot-in command of the flight, nor the manipulator of the controls at the time of the accident could be determined. The flight controls and engine exhibited continuity.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 850 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,886 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 31, 1998; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Littlefield Aeroplane CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: C09
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.