Piper J3 C-65 accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, September 17, 1985
On September 17, 1985 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper J3 C-65, registered N6566H, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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 17, 1985 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Canyon, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3 C-65 · all J3 C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N6566H · no longer on the register · serial 19758
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DEPARTING PIERCE FERRY, AZ THE PLT AND HIS PASSENGER FLEW EAST, UP THE COLORADO RIVER, AT A LOW LEVEL TOWARDS KANAB POINT. THE PLT'S NOTES AND CHARTS SHOW THAT THE FLT WAS TO TURN NORTH FOR APRX 40 NM, WITH A REFUELING STOP AT KANAB, UT. THE BRIGHT YELLOW ACFT WAS LAST OBSERVED, BY HELICOPTER TOUR PLTS, LOW IN THE CANYON, HEADING EAST APRX 10 NMEAST OF KANAB POINT. A FLT PLAN WAS NOT FILED AND NO ONE WAS AWARE OF THE MISSING ACFT. THE PLT'S FAMILY NOTIFIED FAA PERSONNEL THE ACFT WAS MISSING FOUR DAYS AFTER IT'S FATAL FLT. AN UNSUCCESFUL AERIAL SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED. A MILITARY HELICOPTER LOCATED THE MISSING WRECKAGE IN A NARROW CANYON APRX 3 NM EAST OF THE POINT AT WHICH IT WAS LAST SEEN 13 DAYS AFTER IT CRASHED INTO THE CANYON WALL.
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: 163 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 103 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Pierce Ferry AZ at 2:51 pm
- Destination: Kanab UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.