Piper J3C-65 N35645

Summary

On 14 July 2010 at about 01:30 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N35645 was involved in an accident near Krum, 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

14 July 2010 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Krum, Texas, United States

Coordinates

33.3050, -97.3647

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N35645

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bird Dog → Bird Dog

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN10LA416

2 people had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power in flight due to carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was practicing flight maneuvers near his home field over and around a lake. He reduced the engine's power to idle while performing a descending turn and then attempted to add power to bring the airplane to a level attitude. The engine experienced a total loss of power and the airplane's altitude was too low for the pilot to reach the shoreline. The pilot performed a forced landing into the lake, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and aileron. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and opined that the loss of engine power was due to carburetor icing. A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any evidence of a preimpact anomaly. A review of a carburetor icing chart located in Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 revealed that the airplane was operating in an area that was conducive to serious icing at glide power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.