Piper J3C N5930V

Summary

On 1 February 2026 at about 19:34 local time, a Piper J3C registered N5930V was involved in an accident near Brimfield, Ohio, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

1 February 2026 at 19:34

Classification

Accident

Location

Brimfield, Ohio, United States

Coordinates

41.0942, -81.3483

Aircraft

Piper J3C

Registration

N5930V

Category

Airplane

Year built

1944

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wadworth → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA105

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat during descent in cold temperatures, which resulted in a total loss of engine power at an altitude too low for recovery.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the of the vintage, 65-hp, tailwheel airplane reported that he had been flying for about 20 minutes. He had applied carburetor heat during some of the flight, but not all of the flight. The pilot was performing low altitude passes over a friend’s farm, in cold temperatures (20° F). He had the engine power near idle as he descended towards the farm for a fourth time and did not have the carburetor heat on. About treetop level, as the pilot increased throttle input, he realized that the engine had lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing into trees, and the airplane came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation and that the accident could have been prevented if he applied carburetor heat for the entire flight. Review of the owner’s manual revealed instructions to always have the carburetor heat control full on during long glides such as an approach for landing, as it would tend to keep the engine warm and reduce the possibility of the engine failing to accelerate when the throttle was open suddenly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.