Piper J-3 accident near Milan, New Hampshire, May 25, 1986
On May 25, 1986 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper J-3, registered N6498H, was destroyed in an accident near Milan, New Hampshire (Berlin airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- May 25, 1986 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Milan, New Hampshire · Berlin
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J-3 · all J-3s on the register
- Registration
- N6498H · no longer on the register · serial 19680
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS FLYING A 'DRUNKEN FARMER' ROUTINE AT A AIRSHOW. HE WAS OBSERVED IN THE AIR TO BEGIN A DESCENT FROM WHICH HE DID NOT RECOVER. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED IN THE CRASH AND THE AIRCRAFT DESTROYED. NO MECHANICAL OR PHYSICAL REASON FOR THE CRASH WAS DETERMINED.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,536 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 23, 1986; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,900 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.