Piper J3C-65 N26783

Summary

On 26 April 2021 at about 22:11 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N26783 was involved in an accident near Slaughter, Louisiana, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

26 April 2021 at 22:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Slaughter, Louisiana, United States

Nearest airport

Magnolia Airpark (LS77)

Coordinates

30.7229, -91.1496

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N26783

Category

Airplane

Year built

1940

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA204

1 person died.

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined from the available evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were conducting a personal flight. Mud dauber nests were found and removed from the engine compartment before the flight, and no problems were noted with the engine during a subsequent engine run. The pilot stated that he checked the carburetor heat before takeoff. The pilot recalled a normal takeoff until the climbout. While the airplane was in a left turn, he felt the engine “surge” but assumed that the surge was associated with the wind. The pilot recalled turning the airplane toward some trees but did not recall what happened after that. A witness saw the airplane flying at a low altitude and thought that the airplane was struggling to fly. She stated that the airplane started a turn, and its nose went up, and the airplane then descended nose first into the ground. The witness thought that the engine was not running at the time of the accident. A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The propeller remained attached to the engine; one propeller blade was straight, and the other blade was bent aft about 20°. Neither blade showed any evidence of chordwise scraping or leading-edge nicks, which was consistent with little or no propeller rotation at impact. The airframe, engine, and magnetos were examined, and no anomalies were noted that would have resulted in a loss of engine power. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to carburetor icing at glide power. However, the investigation could not determine whether carburetor icing had accumulated during ground operations before takeoff. The available evidence for this investigation was insufficient to determine why the total loss of engine power occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.