Piper J3C-65 N70585

Summary

On 3 October 2009 at about 20:47 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N70585, operated by Brian B Doyle, was involved in an accident near Rosemount, Minnesota, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one 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

3 October 2009 at 20:47

Classification

Accident

Location

Rosemount, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Jensen Airfield

Coordinates

44.7407, -93.0692

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N70585

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Brian B Doyle

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rosemount → Rosemount

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10LA002

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's delayed use of carburetor heat while operating in conditions conducive to carburetor icing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he started the engine and waited for about 10 minutes for the oil temperature to rise before he departed from a grass airstrip. During takeoff, he reported that the airplane “felt slow.” He turned the carburetor heat on, but the engine lost partial power and the airplane "started to sink." He banked to the left to avoid trees. He reported losing altitude, and then the airplane experienced a “stall spin to the left,” impacting a mature corn field. Postaccident inspection of the engine and airframe revealed no preexisting anomalies that would preclude normal operation of the airplane. The observed temperature was 11 degrees Celsius (C) and the dew point was 6 degrees C. The Transport Canada Carburetor Icing chart indicated that at the observed weather conditions the engine was susceptible to “Serious Icing – Any Power.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.