Accident Overview
On June 13, 2012, at about 1800 eastern daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, registration N98568, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an aborted initial climb after a takeoff at Reed Airport (2PA3), South Canaan, Pennsylvania. The certificated commercial pilot sustained minor injuries, and the passenger was not injured. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to a responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot had flown family members throughout the day. During the last takeoff roll, the airplane was slow to accelerate, and the takeoff point was farther along the turf runway than usual. After the airplane became airborne, the pilot felt 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 airplane hit the ground hard, knocking off the landing gear, twisting the fuselage, and damaging the engine firewall.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was manufactured in 1946 and had been owned by the pilot since 1951, according to FAA aircraft registry information. The pilot stated that he had over 5,000 hours of flight time, with 4,000 hours in make and model. FAA inspectors found no evidence of preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane. They noted that carburetor heat was not being utilized at the time of the accident. The pilot later stated that he was aware of carburetor icing potential and had applied carburetor heat on the ground, but removed it for takeoff.
During a subsequent interview, the pilot said he attempted the takeoff from runway 33 and had flown from the airport since 1950 with thousands of takeoffs there, but had never felt the airplane react the way it did. He described the flight controls as not feeling right, saying "the airplane felt like a dog." He cut the power and forced the airplane back down, resulting in a hard landing that hit mud but did not cause the aircraft to nose over. The pilot also thought the left brake might have been binding because he had to apply right rudder to maintain a straight track before rotation.
Witness and Weather Observations
The nearest weather-reporting airport, 17 nautical miles to the southwest, was Wilkes Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP), Avoca, Pennsylvania, at 962 feet above sea level. Weather recorded there at 1754 included winds from 350 degrees true at 13 knots, gusting to 19 knots, temperature 22°C, and dew point 11°C. The next closest airport, 22 nautical miles to the south, was Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport (MPO), Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, at 1,915 feet above sea level. Weather there at 1753 included winds from 010 degrees true at 13 knots, gusting to 20 knots, temperature 20°C, and dew point 7°C. Using a temperature of 22°C and dew point of 11°C, an FAA carburetor icing probability chart indicated a probability of serious carburetor icing at glide power.
A neighbor reported that the land in the area was on a high plateau next to a ridge. She noted that winds generally came from the east, or just to the right of the takeoff runway, but have been known to rapidly shift. The neighbor recalled a previous incident years earlier when the sky darkened to a shade of green, winds suddenly shifted, and numerous 100-foot trees were uprooted—one tree fell on a tractor she had been riding. On the day of the accident, the neighbor and her husband were outside when the sky again started to turn a shade of green and the winds began to rapidly swirl. Within 2 minutes, the winds subsided to near calm. The neighbor heard the engine rev up for takeoff and then cease making noise during the swirling winds. She later went to the accident site and spoke to the pilot, who stated he couldn't understand what happened and that he just couldn't get the airplane to climb. The pilot also mentioned that next-door neighbors advised him that the wind had shifted during the takeoff attempt, similar to a previous event that uprooted trees around the airport.