Piper J3C-65 accident near Greenwood, Louisiana, September 21, 1987
On September 21, 1987 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper J3C-65, registered N3685K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenwood, Louisiana (Shreveport Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- September 21, 1987 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Greenwood, Louisiana · Shreveport Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N3685K · registry record · serial 22376
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY IN A SMALL CLEARING WHICH HE HAD PREVOUSLY DRIVEN TO BY AUTOMOBILE. HE THEN LIFTED OFF AND STARTED A CLIMBOUT. TWO SEPARATE ELECTRICAL POWER LINES WERE LOCATED JUST INSIDE A TREE LINE WHICH WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED TOUCHDOWN POINT. THE LOWER AND MUCH LARGER WIRES OF THE TWO POWER LINES WERE OBSCURED BY TREES FROM THE TOUCHDOWN POINT. THE SMALL UPPER (GROUND) WIRE WAS VISIBLE AGAINST A CLEAR SKY BACKGROUND FROM THE TOUCHDOWN POINT DURING THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION BUT ITS VISIBILITY WOULD HAVE QUICKLY DIMINISHED INTO A TREE COVERED BACKGROUND AS THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED. THE LARGER WIRES WHICH WERE MOUNTED LOWER ON THE POLES WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE VISIBLE NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE, HOWEVER, THEY TOO WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT OBSCURED BY THE TREE COVERED BACKGROUND. THE ACFT FLEW INTO THE SMALL UPPER WIRE AND CAME TO REST BETWEEN THE TWO POWER LINES.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,473 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 173 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 1,415 as pilot in command; 181 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,729 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 19, 1987; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Shreveport LA at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from SHV, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.