Piper J3C-65 N71093

Summary

On 14 March 2024 at about 19:30 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N71093 was involved in an accident near Homosassa Springs, Florida, 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

14 March 2024 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Homosassa Springs, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Crystal River-Capt Tom Davis F (CGC)

Coordinates

28.8676, -82.5741

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N71093

Category

Airplane

Year built

1946

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Plant City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA142

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to confirm the throttle position before attempting to start the airplane’s engine by manually rotating the propeller, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After refueling his airplane at an intermediate stop and while waiting to start the engine after an unsuccessful attempt, the pilot was approached by an airport tenant who offered some alternate engine-start advice. When subsequent attempts to start the engine failed, the pilot decided to attempt an engine start by manually rotating the propeller while the tenant adjusted the engine controls from outside the airplane. The engine subsequently started at a high rpm. The airplane departed from the chocks and struck an unoccupied parked airplane, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and fuselage. The pilot was able to shut the engine down and observed that the throttle was in the “halfway position.” The pilot did not report any mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.