Porterfield CP-65 accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire, June 24, 2005
On June 24, 2005 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Porterfield CP-65, registered N37709, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jaffrey, New Hampshire (Jaffrey Muni-Silver Ranch airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's inadequate compensation for wind conditions and his failure to maintain directional control. A factor in the accident was the drop off/descending embankment at the runway's edge.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 24, 2005 · about 6:30 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Jaffrey, New Hampshire · Jaffrey Muni-Silver Ranch · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Porterfield CP-65 · all CP-65s on the register
- Registration
- N37709 · registry record · serial 938
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, and after viewing the windsock, decided to land on the opposite runway. The airplane landed with a reported crosswind of 11 knots gusting to 16 knots. After lowering the tailwheel to the runway, the airplane encountered a crosswind gust that "spun the airplane around like a toy." The student straightened the airplane as it departed the left edge of the runway, where the grade dropped immediately down an embankment. The airplane struck terrain at the bottom of the embankment, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The student pilot stated that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.
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: student
- Flight time: 102 hours in all; 63 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FIT Fitchburg MA
- Destination: AFN Jaffrey NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N37709 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Porterfield CP-65 19 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Porterfield 77 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental A65 33 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Jaffrey Airfield Silver Ranch · nearest airport
- Fitchburg Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Hampshire 393 since 1982 · 56 in the last ten years
- New Hampshire 1,565 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/IAD05CA086.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.