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Atlas / NTSB / FTW87FA223

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event FTW87FA223

1987-09-21 GREENWOOD, Louisiana, United States Airport · SHV Fatal 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N3685K

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER J3C-65

Year of manufacture

1946 · 41 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR A&C65 SERIES (65 hp)

Seats / Engines

2 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19560107

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A42D15

Registrant of record

GASPER JAMES J

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PILOT TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY IN A SMALL CLEARING WHICH HE HAD PREVOUSLY DRIVEN TO BY AUTOMOBILE. HE THEN LIFTED OFF AND STARTED A CLIMBOUT. TWO SEPARATE ELECTRICAL POWER LINES WERE LOCATED JUST INSIDE A TREE LINE WHICH WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED TOUCHDOWN POINT. THE LOWER AND MUCH LARGER WIRES OF THE TWO POWER LINES WERE OBSCURED BY TREES FROM THE TOUCHDOWN POINT. THE SMALL UPPER (GROUND) WIRE WAS VISIBLE AGAINST A CLEAR SKY BACKGROUND FROM THE TOUCHDOWN POINT DURING THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION BUT ITS VISIBILITY WOULD HAVE QUICKLY DIMINISHED INTO A TREE COVERED BACKGROUND AS THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED. THE LARGER WIRES WHICH WERE MOUNTED LOWER ON THE POLES WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE VISIBLE NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE, HOWEVER, THEY TOO WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMEWHAT OBSCURED BY THE TREE COVERED BACKGROUND. THE ACFT FLEW INTO THE SMALL UPPER WIRE AND CAME TO REST BETWEEN THE TWO POWER LINES. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1987_FTW87FA223.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.