Piper J3C-65 accident near North Hampton, New Hampshire, December 17, 1983
On December 17, 1983 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper J3C-65, registered N70779, was destroyed in an accident near North Hampton, New Hampshire (Hampton airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- December 17, 1983 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- North Hampton, New Hampshire · Hampton
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N70779 · registry record · serial 17800
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT STALLED AT ABOUT 100 FT OF ALT AFTER TAKEOFF DURING AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLT. ONE WITNESS SAID THE ACFT TURNED THROUGH 180 DEGREES BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW AND RIGHT BANK ATTITUDE. ANOTHER WITNESS SAID HE THOUGHT THE ACFT WAS GOING TO DO A LOOP BEFORE IT TURNED RIGHT AND DOVE TO THE GROUND. THE ENGINE SOUND WAS NORMAL. THE STUDENT PLT HAS NO RECOLLECTION OF THE FLT. HE HAD HIS FIRST SOLO FLT ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THE ACCIDENT WITH NO SUBSEQUENT FLIGHTS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 723 hours in all; 173 in this make and model; 199 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 720 as pilot in command; 249 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,881 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 22, 1983; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7B3 North Hampton NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,000 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Observation at 3:00 pm from KPSM, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.