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Accidents · NTSB FTW82FPD10 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Piper J3C-65 accident near Grand Prairie, Texas, April 25, 1982

On April 25, 1982 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper J3C-65, registered N70108, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Prairie, Texas (Grand Prairie Muni. airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
April 25, 1982 · about 8:00 pm local time
Place
Grand Prairie, Texas · Grand Prairie Muni.
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
Registration
N70108 · no longer on the register · serial 7010510
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

WHILE THE PILOT WAS TAXIING TO THE ENGINE RUN-UP AREA, HIS RIGHT WING STRUCK THE PROPELLER OF A PIPER PA-24 (N7545P) THAT WAS POSITIONED AT THE EDGE OF THE TAXIWAY. THE PILOT BELIEVED THAT IF HE HAD BEEN MAKING SHARPER S-TURNS WHILE TAXIING, HE WOULD HAVE SEEN THE OTHER AIRCRAFT SOONER AND WOULD HAVE STOPPED.

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; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 206 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 1,285 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: unk

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,347 hours
  • Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 232 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: F67 Grand Prairie TX at 3:00 pm
  • Destination: F67 Grand Prairie TX
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 17, 4,000 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
  • Visibility: 60 statute miles
  • Sky: not recorded; clear
  • Temperature: 167°F (75°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1

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 N70108 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

2012-09-08CEN12FA616 · accident near Kingsland, TX · substantial damage · fatal

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.