Piper J3C-65 N70455

Summary

On 13 July 2009 at about 00:39 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N70455, operated by Hill Craig, was involved in an accident near Porter, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

13 July 2009 at 00:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Porter, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.2000, -95.5514

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N70455

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Hill Craig

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Porter → Porter

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA431

2 people had minor injuries.

The partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing resulting in the pilot's inability to clear the wires.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot noticed a significant loss of engine power while maneuvering on a local area flight. The pilot began looking for a suitable place to land and noticed a sandbar along a river. As he approached the river he applied carburetor heat and the engine power began to recover. At this time the airplane was at tree top level along the river when the pilot noticed wires crossing the river. The pilot was unable to reestablish a climb and avoid the wires. The airplane struck the wires and impacted inverted on the sandbar. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to carburetor icing at cruise and glide power settings with a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius and dew point of 23 degrees Celsius. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector on scene, there were no pre-impact anomalies noted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.