Piper J3C-65 accident near Waynesville, Ohio, October 10, 1998
On October 10, 1998 at about 9:11 pm local time, a Piper J3C-65, registered N70968, was destroyed in an accident near Waynesville, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 1998 · about 9:11 pm local time
- Place
- Waynesville, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N70968 · registry record · serial 17993
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot and passenger departed the airport on a local pleasure flight toward an area where a gathering of 70 people were at a picnic outing. The airplane was observed flying low and slow approximately 100 yards in front of the picnic attendees. The airplane was then observed to pitch up, sharply roll to the right, enter a descending right hand turn, and collided with terrain in a nose down attitude. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and that he inadvertently stalled the airplane in a climb. He reported a total of 166 flight hours with 6 total hours in make and model.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 166 hours in all; 6 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A&C 65 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 401 OH at 8:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from ILN, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.