Accident Airplane Lying Inverted in Wheat Field.
Right Side of Accident Airplane.
Accident Airplane Engine and Propeller. The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Denver, Colorado
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
http://registry.faa.gov/N29042
Location: Strasburg, CO
Accident Number: CEN16LA239
Date & Time: 06/26/2016, 1950 CDT
Registration: N29042
Aircraft: PIPER J3F 65
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Fuel related
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On June 26, 2016, about 1950 central daylight time (CDT), a Piper J3F-65 airplane, N29042, experienced a partial loss of engine power on climb out from Comanche Airfield LLC Airport (CO38) in Strasburg, Colorado. The pilot conducted a forced landing into a wheat field where during the landing the airplane nosed over. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, suffered minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage to left-wing strut and fuselage longerons. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which was not on a flight plan.
The pilot reported he departed from Front Range Airport (FTG), in Watkins, Colorado, about 1900 with full (11 gallons) gas. After takeoff from FTG, he departed the traffic area to the east. He lined up for runway 17 at CO38 and conducted a touch and go landing. During climb out, the pilot reported "the airplane made enough power to clear an interstate roadway and some powerlines, but never really seemed to perform." The pilot stated he advanced the throttle to full power; however, the airplane started to descend. He checked the mixture and magnetos but neither stopped the descent. The airplane "settled into a wheat field," nosed over and came to rest inverted.
The routine aviation weather report at FTG, taken at 1854, about the time of takeoff, recorded a temperature of 27ºC and a dewpoint temperature of 10ºC. Per the "Carburettor icing-probability chart" in an article on carburetor icing published by Flight Safety Australia, dated November-December 2004, revealed that the airplane was operating in an area favorable for the formation of serious icing at a descent power setting. Further, the article stated that if ice forms in the carburetor of a fixed-pitch propeller aircraft, the restriction to the induction airflow would reduce power and force a drop in rpm. According to the FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, under certain conditions, carburetor ice can build unnoticed until power is added.
Pilot Information
Certificate: Airline Transport
Age: 51, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Rear
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s): None
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Sport Pilot
Last FAA Medical Exam:
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 02/29/2016
Flight Time: (Estimated) 10000 hours (Total, all aircraft), 300 hours (Total, this make and model), 2000 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft), 15 hours (Last 90 days, all aircraft), 5 hours (Last 30 days, all aircraft)
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Registration: N29042
Model/Series: J3F 65 65
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 1940
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Normal
Serial Number: 6013
Landing Gear Type: Tailwheel
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 06/10/2015, Annual
Certified Max Gross Wt.:
Time Since Last Inspection:
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time:
Engine Manufacturer: Continental Motors
ELT: C91 installed, activated, did not aid in locating accident
Engine Model/Series: C-85-RF
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 85 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: FTG
Distance from Accident Site:
Observation Time: 0152 UTC
Direction from Accident Site:
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Visibility: 30 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 9000 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 8 knots / 16 knots
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:
Wind Direction: 180°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:
Altimeter Setting: 30.21 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 27°C / 10°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Strasburg, CO (CO38)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Denver, CO (FTG)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 1930 MDT
Type of Airspace:
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 39.736111, -104.328611 (est)
suspect that 'Carburettor icing-probability ' was the least issue for a 'Airline Transport Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land' to consider!
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