Piper J3 accident near Green Valley, Arizona, October 24, 1985
On October 24, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper J3, registered N33461, was substantially damaged in an accident near Green Valley, Arizona. 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 conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- October 24, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Green Valley, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper J3 · all J3s on the register
- Registration
- N33461 · registry record · serial 5970
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON OCT 24, 1985, A PIPER J3 CUB,N33461, MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN ROUGH, OPEN TERRAIN NEAR GREEN VALLEY, AZ. AFTER EXPERIENCING A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER THE AC SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE PVT PLT WAS NOT INJURED. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE THROTTLE HANDLE TO THE LINKAGE TUBE SEPARATED WHILE THE ENGINE WAS AT IDLE POWER LEAVING THE PLT WITH NO CONTROL OVER THE ENGINE.
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: 420 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,493 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 4AC-176B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°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.
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.