Piper J3C 65 accident near Carrol County, Virginia, September 10, 2014
On September 10, 2014 at about 5:09 pm local time, a Piper J3C 65, registered N26105, was substantially damaged in an accident during emergency descent near Carrol County, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from trees during an emergency landing after encountering deteriorating weather conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s poor preflight weather planning, which resulted in an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 10, 2014 · about 5:09 pm local time
- Place
- Carrol County, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C 65 65 · all J3C 65s on the register
- Registration
- N26105 · no longer on the register · serial 4051
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a multi-leg, cross-country flight in an airplane that was not equipped to fly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport; however, IMC existed along the route of flight. Although the pilot was instrument-rated, he had not completed an instrument proficiency check in 9 years. The pilot reported that, about 1 hour 30 minutes into the flight, the airplane encountered deteriorating weather conditions and that he then attempted an emergency landing on an interstate highway; the airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain. The pilot could not recall if he checked the weather conditions before departure. He further reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The recorded weather at an airport located about 1 mile from the accident site included visibility less than 1/4 statute mile about the time of the accident. An airmen's meteorological information (AIRMET) for mountain obscuration due to clouds and mist was in effect at the time of the accident for the area around the accident site.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during emergency descent defining event
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Awareness of condition
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Use of related info
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog › Effect on operation
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Use of related info
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,399 hours in all; 1,423 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 4, 2014
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,288 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 2014; 694 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,170 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-75-8 (piston); 694 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BKW Beckley WV at 3:45 pm
- Destination: INT Winston Salem NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from HLX, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N26105 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.