On March 13, 2013, about 1340 central daylight time, a Piper J3C-65 airplane, N88313, experienced a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff. The flight instructor and student pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Freeman Heritage Collection, LLC, Kingsbury, Texas, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that operated without a flight plan. The flight was originating from the Old Kingsbury Aerodrome (85TE), Seguin, Texas at the time of the accident.
According to the flight instructor, they planned on flying to a nearby airport to get fuel, and then return to 85TE for some practice landings. However, shortly after takeoff, as the airplane reached about 200 feet, the instructor noticed that engine power was decreasing. He attempted to advance the throttle, but it was already at full forward. The area ahead was not suitable for a forced landing, so he elected to return to the airfield. The instructor made about a 150-degree turn, but was not able to recover from the turn and the left wing impacted terrain. The instructor reported that they hit the ground hard. The instructor added that engine may have had carburetor icing and that he did not apply carburetor heat.
According to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the flight instructor reported that they departed the airfield, with three gallons of gas in the airplane. Examination of the airplane by FAA revealed that the airplane's wings and fuselage were bent and the main landing gear had flattened out. The gascolator and carburetor were broken, and no fuel was found in the airplane's fuel tank.
At 1351, the automated weather station at New Braunfels Regional Airport, (KBAZ), located about 13 miles west of the accident site, reported, temperature 72 degrees F, and a dew point of 36 degrees F.
The carburetor icing probability chart included in Federal Aviation Administration Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin No. CE-09-35, Carburetor Icing Prevention, indicated that the airplane was operating in an area that was associated with a risk of carburetor ice formation, at glide and cruise power settings.