Accident Overview
On October 3, 2009, at 1547 central daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, registration N70585, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain following a loss of engine power after takeoff from a grass airfield in Rosemount, Minnesota. The pilot reported minor injuries and the front seat passenger received serious injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight departing from Jensen Airfield, a private grass airstrip, for a local flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
Pilot Narrative
The pilot stated that a fly-in was occurring at the private airstrip and he decided to take a friend for a flight “around the patch.” After preflighting the airplane, he started the engine and waited approximately 10 minutes for the oil temperature to rise. He then taxied and performed a run-up prior to departure. During takeoff, he added power slowly to full power, raised the tail, and rotated gradually. He reported that the airplane “felt slow.” He attempted to land but determined he was too fast and there was “not enough room.” The pilot pulled the carburetor heat on, after which the engine lost partial power and the airplane “started to sink.” He banked to the left to avoid trees, reported losing altitude, and then the airplane experienced a “stall spin to the left.” The airplane impacted a mature corn field. The pilot shut off the magnetos and fuel, and exited the airplane with the passenger.
Post-Accident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector examined the airplane. The inspection revealed that the magnetos and fuel selector were turned off. The fuel tank was ruptured. The primer was in and locked. The carburetor heat was out (on). The propeller was bent aft. The airplane was equipped with a seat belt and shoulder harness for the rear seat. The front seat was equipped with a seat belt but no shoulder harness, although a hard attachment point for a shoulder harness was present. Flight controls exhibited cable continuity to the ailerons, elevator, and rudder.
Inspection of the 65-horsepower Continental A-65-8 engine revealed that the carburetor was broken in half, top to bottom. The carburetor air box was crushed from impact forces. The spark plugs were clean and clear. The left and right magnetos produced spark. The engine was rotated and exhibited continuity in the drive train, with compression on all four cylinders.
Weather Conditions
At 1553, the observed weather at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport (MSP), located about 12 miles northwest of the accident site, was: wind 320 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 2,100 feet, a broken ceiling at 3,400 feet, temperature 11 degrees Celsius (C), dew point 6 degrees C, and an altimeter setting of 29.81 inches of Mercury. The Transport Canada Carburetor Icing chart indicated that “Serious Icing – Any Power” conditions existed with a temperature of 11°C and a dew point of 6°C.