Piper J-3C-65 N1469N

Summary

On 28 December 1997 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper J-3C-65 registered N1469N, operated by John A. Swart, was involved in an accident near Albany, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 December 1997 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Albany, Ohio, United States

Nearest airport

Ohio University (UNI)

Coordinates

39.2196, -82.1893

Aircraft

Piper J-3C-65

Registration

N1469N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

John A. Swart

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC98LA051

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision and failure to turn off the carburetor heat during the go-around. Related factors were: the pilot's lack of experience in make and model, and the proximity of trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After landing from a previous flight and refueling, the pilot of the accident flight sat in the rear seat as pilot-in-command (PIC); and the other occupant, who had been PIC on the previous flight, was in the front seat as a pilot-rated passenger (PAX). The pilot described the takeoff and climb as normal, and entered the traffic pattern for a touch-and-go landing. He applied carburetor heat at mid-field on downwind. According to the passenger, when the airplane was close to the runway, it started to drift to the right, and it swerved to the left immediately after touchdown. The airplane swerved back and forth a few times before the pilot added power to go around. The passenger stated the airplane did not climb at a normal rate, and the speed seemed extremely slow. The airplane impacted the tops of trees during the climb. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not revealed any abnormalities of the airframe or engine. The carburetor heat control was observed in the 'on' position. The pilot reported 228 hours of total flight experience, of which 18 were in make and model.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.