Piper J3C-65 accident near Mesa, Arizona, May 9, 1998
On May 9, 1998 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper J3C-65, registered N7447H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of a weld in the engine's throttle control support assembly due to inadequate maintenance which was the ultimate responsibility of the owner-pilot. Contributing factors were the presence of rough terrain, the lack of a suitable forced landing site, and the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 1998 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N7447H · registry record · serial 20712
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, which the pilot owned and operated, experienced a total loss of engine power while descending for a practice forced landing. The pilot indicated that no adequate landing site was available within gliding distance, so he landed in the rough terrain of a dry wash shearing off both main landing gear. The airplane was recovered and examined. A clamp that had been welded onto a bracket which was secured to the engine case was found broken. The clamp/bracket assembly supported the throttle cable. When the weld broke subsequent movement of the cockpit throttle control had no effect upon the engine's rpm. The pilot described the weld as having been 'bad,' and it was not a Piper manufactured component.
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
What happened, in order
- LOSS OF ENGINE POWER(TOTAL) - MECH FAILURE/MALF during descent
- FORCED LANDING during emergency descent/landing
- ON GROUND/WATER ENCOUNTER WITH TERRAIN/WATER during landing - flare/touchdown
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, none, none
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 417 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 1,050 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 3
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,800 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, July 15, 1997; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Falcon Field AZ at 5:30 pm
- Destination: E14 Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°C, dew point 0°C
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX98LA181.