Piper J3C-65 accident near Miles City, Florida, October 13, 1984
On October 13, 1984 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper J3C-65, registered N35965, was destroyed in an accident near Miles City, Florida (Calusa Ranch airport). 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 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
- October 13, 1984 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Miles City, Florida · Calusa Ranch
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N35965 · no longer on the register · serial 6734
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT THE ACFT BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED ROTOR DOWNWASH GENERATED BY A DEPARTING HELICOPTER. INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED WITH A TREE 200 FT LEFT OF THE RWY. POST CRASH FIRE DESTROYED THE WRECKAGE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,216 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 1,118 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 1983; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90-14F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 08X Miles City FL at 10:00 pm
- Destination: X51 Homestead FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 1,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:48 pm from TMB, 48 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N35965 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.