Piper J3C-65 N98568

Summary

On 13 May 2012 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N98568, operated by Ogden Walter L, was involved in an accident near South Canaan, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 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

13 May 2012 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

South Canaan, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Reed Airport (2PA3)

Coordinates

41.4997, -75.4083

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N98568

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Ogden Walter L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South Canaan → South Canaan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA335

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff during shifting wind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After flying passengers throughout the day, the pilot attempted to take off once again from the turf runway. However, during the last takeoff roll, the airplane was slow to accelerate, and the takeoff point was farther along the runway than usual. After the airplane became airborne, the pilot thought that it would not clear trees at the end of the runway, so he reduced power, lowered the nose, and applied left rudder to force the airplane back on the ground. The pilot subsequently thought that the airplane's left brake might have been binding because he had to use right rudder to maintain a straight track down the runway. However, no preexisting mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane. A carburetor probability icing chart revealed the probability of severe carburetor icing at idle power; however, the pilot stated that he had utilized carburetor heat while taxiing the airplane and had removed it just prior to takeoff. Neighbors, who did not see the airplane but did hear its engine rev up, noted rapid and intense wind shifts, similar to destructive winds they had seen once before in the area. The shifting winds then ceased shortly after the airplane's engine stopped making noise.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.