Piper J3C-65 N26842

Summary

On 19 June 1999 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N26842, operated by Arthur Schwandt, was involved in an accident near Elko, Nevada, 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

19 June 1999 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Elko, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Elko Muni-J.c. Harris Fld (EKO)

Coordinates

40.9504, -115.7909

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N26842

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Arthur Schwandt

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99LA222

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to reject the takeoff after noting that the engine would not produce takeoff power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

This was the first flight after an annual inspection had been performed. Prior to the initial takeoff, the airplane was taxi tested with no discrepancies noted. The pilot stated that the engine started easily and ran smoothly at lower rpm settings. An engine run-up was conducted, which included a magneto check, with no anomalies experienced. During the takeoff roll, the pilot noted that the engine did not produce full power. He elected to continue the takeoff, and noted that the rpm did not go above 1,600. He attempted to turn back to the runway to land. As he made the crosswind to downwind turn, the left wing stalled. The airplane pitched down and fell about 50 feet to the ground. The engine was inspected, and found to have weak compression in two cylinders. The examination further revealed that there were leaks coming from the intake and exhaust valves of both cylinders. No further discrepancies were noted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.