Piper J3C-65 N6460D

Summary

On 8 April 2001 at about 14:00 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N6460D was involved in an accident near Gary, Indiana, United States. One person was 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

8 April 2001 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Gary, Indiana, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N6460D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Merrillville → Milwaukee

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI01LA114

Nobody was injured.

The inadequate preflight performed by the pilot which resulted in an insufficient fuel supply and the subsequent fuel exhaustion. Factors associated with the accident were the inaccurate fuel quantity indicator, the rock which resulted in the overload failure of the right main landing gear, and the embankment which the airplane traveled down.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane contacted a rock and directional control was lost during a forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot reported the engine quit while he was six miles out over the water from the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The pilot reported he was able to temporarily restore engine power as he positioned the airplane for a forced landing. The right main gear separated from the airplane during the landing roll after it contacted a large rock. The airplane came to rest part way down an embankment. Examination of the airplane after the accident revealed the carburetor had separated from the engine; however, there was no evidence of fuel leakage at the accident site. One and one-half ounces of fuel were drained from the fuel line between the header fuel tank and the fuel selector. The fuel gages indicated the right tank was empty and the left tank contained 1/3 tank of fuel. A visual inspection of both tanks revealed they were empty. The airplane had been modified with an extended range fuel system. The airplane had not been flown since September, 2000. The pilot reported that three days prior to the accident, he noticed fuel leaking out of the carburetor. He reported that he was told by a mechanic and the airplane owner that the float needle was stuck and that he should tap the carburetor with a wrench. He reported he did this, then flew the airplane around the traffic pattern. The airplane then sat until the day of the accident. The pilot reported he did not visually check the fuel level prior to takeoff on the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.