Piper J3C-50 N23267

Summary

On 12 October 2008 at about 16:11 local time, a Piper J3C-50 registered N23267, operated by Phyllis Harvey, was involved in an accident near Epping, New Hampshire, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 October 2008 at 16:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Epping, New Hampshire, United States

Nearest airport

Red Oak Hill Farm (NONE)

Coordinates

43.4336, -71.5344

Aircraft

Piper J3C-50

Registration

N23267

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Phyllis Harvey

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Epping → Epping

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA014

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's improper preflight inspection and his decision to fly an unairworthy airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of a Piper J3C-50 stated that after completing a preflight inspection, during startup of the airplane, he noticed that the engine was running rough. He made an attempt to clear up the rough-running engine by conducting high-speed taxis. He then decided to fly it in the traffic pattern as a safety check. During takeoff, at an altitude of 50 feet above the runway, the engine stopped producing power. The pilot turned the airplane in an attempt to return to the private landing strip and stalled into terrain. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed dirt and debris in the fuel lines. Further examination of maintenance records revealed that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed about 5 years prior to the accident. Additionally, the airplane was operating on automobile gasoline, and there was no supplemental type certificate issued by the FAA for the accident airplane's use of automobile gasoline.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.