Piper J5-A N38645

Summary

On 20 January 1998 at about 18:50 local time, a Piper J5-A registered N38645 was involved in an accident near Vero Beach, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 January 1998 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Vero Beach, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

New Hibiscus (X52)

Coordinates

27.6808, -80.7104

Aircraft

Piper J5-A

Registration

N38645

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL98LA035

Nobody was injured.

loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After completing 15 minutes of airwork, the training flight returned to the airport and the pilots established a normal approach for a series of touch-and-go landings. The pilots used the normal pre-landing check procedures that included the application of carburetor heat. After a wheel landing, with the carburetor heat in the cold position, the dual student continued the landing roll and applied takeoff power for a climb. The airplane operated normally until it was 100-150 feet above the ground. Without warning, the engine lost power. The pilots elected to continue the runway heading and collided with trees during the forced landing An examination of the engine assembly disclosed that both magnetos produced ignition sparks for all cylinders. The spark plugs appeared to have been relatively new and showed normal wear. A small quantity of fuel and water was recovered from the carburetor bowl; there was no evidence of water found in the fuel system fuel filters. The airplane lost engine power approximately 20 minutes into the planned 1.1 hour flight. A review of recovered weather data from the nearest reporting facility disclosed that, weather conditions were favorable for the formation of carburetor ice at glide and cruise power settings.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.