Piper J3C-65 N46777

Summary

On 22 May 2014 at about 18:30 local time, a Piper J3C-65 registered N46777, operated by Creed Michael L, was involved in an accident near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, 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

22 May 2014 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hopkinsville, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

Hopkinsville-Christian County (HVC)

Coordinates

36.8547, -87.4689

Aircraft

Piper J3C-65

Registration

N46777

Category

Airplane

Year built

1943

Engines

1

Operator

Creed Michael L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hopkinsville → Hopkinsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA253

1 person was seriously injured.

The failure of the pilot to identify poor engine performance during the engine run-up before takeoff. Also causal to the accident was the mistimed right magneto and the poor condition of the spark plugs in the No. 4 cylinder.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that before taking off for a local flight, when he conducted the engine run up, the magneto drop for the right magneto was 150 rpm, which was 100 rpm greater than the drop for the left magneto (the pilot later stated that the "engine ran up just fine"). The pilot applied takeoff power and, based on his years of experience, he estimated that the engine was developing full power. The airplane became airborne in about the usual time, just before midfield. He began climbing out between 40 to 50 mph, which he said was normal; about 10 to 15 seconds later, when the airplane was about 100 feet above ground level and with about 1/4 of the runway remaining, the pilot noticed that the engine was not developing full power, which was usually 2400 rpm; the tachometer indicated 1,900 rpm. He verified that the throttle was full forward, the mixture control was full rich, and the carburetor heat was off. At 1,900 rpm, there was just enough power to maintain altitude but not enough to climb. The pilot initiated a shallow turn to try landing on a taxiway, but during the turn, he lost altitude and abandoned the plan. He maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing on a road. During the forced landing attempt, the right wing hit a tree, causing the airplane to be pulled to the right over a guardrail. Inspection of the engine following recovery revealed the right magneto was timed 14 degrees after the specified amount, or closer to top dead center, and discrepancies were noted with both spark plugs in the No. 4 cylinder. Although the pilot indicated the engine run-up was satisfactory, the excessive right magneto drop was likely due to the mistimed right magneto and the spark plug discrepancies and should have been grounds to cancel the flight and investigate the reason for the excessive drop.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.