Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Hopkinsville, Kentucky 42240
Thursday, May 22, 2014 13:30 CDT

NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident

On May 22, 2014, about 1330 central daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N46777, was substantially damaged during a forced landing shortly after takeoff from Hopkinsville-Christian county Airport (HVC), Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The private pilot sustained serious injuries while the passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal, local flight Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated about 1 minute earlier from HVC. The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to take his son for a local flight. He demonstrated to him a detailed preflight inspection, which included a check of the fuel tank and fuel strainer for contaminants; no sediment or water was detected. He was seated in the front seat and his son was in the rear seat. At that time the airplane had 10 gallons of 100LL fuel. After engine start the airplane was taxied to the approach end of runway 26 where he performed an engine run-up before takeoff. There were no issues identified during the run-up, and he reported that the left magneto drop was 50 rpm and the right magneto drop was 150 rpm. During the run-up he also checked the carburetor heat, and reported that the, "engine ran up just fine." After the engine run-up he called on the UNICOM and announced his departure from runway 26. With a wind 30 degrees to the right of the nose at 5 to 8 knots, he applied takeoff power and based on his years of experience felt like the engine was developing full power. The airplane became airborne in about the usual time, or just before midfield, and he began climbing out between 40 to 50 miles-per-hour (normal). About 10 to 15 seconds later, when the flight was about 100 feet above ground level (agl) and about ΒΌ of the runway remaining, he noticed the engine was not developing full power; the tachometer indicated 1,900 rpm. He reported that the engine was not missing but it was not developing full power. He verified that the throttle was full forward, the mixture control was full rich, and the carburetor heat was off. At 1,900 rpm there was just enough power to maintain altitude, but not enough to climb. He initiated a shallow turn intended to try to land on a taxiway but during the turn he lost altitude and abandoned the idea. With a tree line ahead he flew through a gap, and then turned to land on Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway; reporting there was no traffic on it. He maneuvered slightly to avoid a light pole, and during the forced landing attempt, the right wing which was over a guard-rail hit a tree, causing the airplane to be pulled to the right over the guard-rail. He was thrown into the instrument panel and knocked unconscious, but his son who remained conscious turned off the fuel shutoff valve because of fuel leakage, and also pulled him from the wreckage. He confirmed the accident flight was the first flight that day, and with respect to the loss of engine power, the engine did not react like it had ingested water; there was no spitting or sputtering. He reported flying the airplane for 20 to 25 hours since the last annual inspection was performed in September 2013, and reported no engine issues. Following recovery of the airplane, it was inspected by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector. The inspection of the airframe revealed damage to the firewall and fuselage structure aft of the landing gear. The engine, a Continental A-75-8 was removed from the airframe to facilitate an inspection, which revealed no obstructions of the air induction or exhaust system components. Inspection of the carburetor revealed the bowl contained fuel and the accelerator pump worked satisfactory; the inlet screen was clean. Crankshaft, camshaft, and valve train continuity was confirmed during hand rotation of the propeller which remained attached to the crankshaft flange. Suction and compression was noted in all cylinders during hand rotation of the propeller. During removal of the top spark plugs for the compression test they were found to be snug but not torqued properly, and several gaskets were missing. Testing of the spark plugs at 80 psi using a spark plug tester was performed. The top and bottom plugs of cylinder Nos. 1, 2, and 3 tested satisfactory; however, the top and bottom plugs of the No. 4 cylinder tested weak and had no spark, respectively. Additionally, the ceramic of one of the No. 2 cylinder plugs was shipped in several places. A copy of the FAA inspector statement is contained in the NTSB public docket. A review of the maintenance records revealed the engine was overhauled and converted in November 1967, from a Continental A-65-8 to a Continental A-75-8 engine; the logbook entry does not specify the approving authority. The airplane was also equipped with a McCauley 1A100 CM7147 fixed pitch propeller. Excerpts of the engine logbook are contained in the NTSB public docket. Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA00270BO authorizes installation of a Continental A-75-8 engine with a McCauley 1A90 or 1B90 propeller. The STC is contained in the NTSB public docket. The FAA airworthiness inspector contacted the FAA Boston Aircraft Certification Office (Boston ACO), and was informed there is no approved paperwork to allow an A-75-8 engine and a McCauley 1A100 propeller combination. The airplane owner's manual for a J3C-65 indicates the magneto drop should not exceed 75 rpm. An excerpt from the owner's manual is contained in the NTSB public docket. A review of FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) titled Carburetor Icing Prevention, revealed that based on the temperature (86 degrees Fahrenheit) and dew point (72 degrees Fahrenheit) reported at facility approximately 11 miles away, the conditions were favorable for serious icing at glide power. The SAIB is contained in the NTSB public docket.

NTSB Probable Cause Narrative

Not Yet Reported

Event Information

Type of Event Accident
Event Date 5/22/2014
Event Day of the Week Thursday
Time of Event 1330
Event Time Zone Central Daylight Time
Event City Hopkinsville
Event State KENTUCKY
Event Country --
Zipcode of the event site 42240
Event Date Year 2014
Event Date Month 5
MidAir Collision Indicator No
On Ground Collision occurred ? No
Event Location Latitude 365117N
Event Location Longitude 0872808W
Event Location Airport Hopkinsville-Christian County
Event Location Nearest Airport ID HVC
Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport Off Airport/Airstrip
Distance from airport in statute miles 1
Degrees magnetic from airport 258
Airport Elevation 564
Weather Briefing Completeness --
Investigator's weather source Weather Observation Facility
Time of the weather observation 1358 Central Daylight Time
Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) 185
Weather Observation Facility ID HOP
Elevation of weather observation facility 571
Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) 11
Time Zone of the weather observation CDT
Lighting Conditions Day
Lowest Ceiling Height --
Lowest Non-Ceiling Height 3600
Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions Few
Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling None
Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) --
Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) --
Visibility (Statute Miles) 10
Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) 30
Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) 22
Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) 270
Variable Wind Indicator Wind direction could be determined
Wind Speed (knots) 11
Wind Velocity Indicator --
Wind Gust Indicator Gusting
Wind Gust (knots) 18
Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) 30.06
Density Altitude (feet) --
Intensity of Precipitation --
METAR weather report --
Event Highest Injury Serious
On Ground, Fatal Injuries --
On Ground, Minor Injuries --
On Ground, Serious Injuries --
Injury Total Fatal --
Injury Total Minor 1
Injury Total None --
Injury Total Serious 1
Injury Total All 2
Investigating Agency NTSB
NTSB Docket Number (internal use) --
NTSB Notification Source Airport Manager
NTSB Notification Date --
NTSB Notification Time --
Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information --
Date of most recent change to record Dec 30 2014 4:18PM
User who most recently changed record kenj
Basic weather conditions Visual Meteorological Cond
FAA District Office --

Aircraft Involved

Aircraft #1

Aircraft Registration Number N46777
NTSB Number ERA14LA253
Missing Aircraft Indicator --
Federal Aviation Reg. Part Part 91: General Aviation
Type of Flight Plan filed None
Flight plan Was Activated? No
Damage Substantial
Aircraft Fire None
Aircraft Explosion None
Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name PIPER
Aircraft Model J3C - 65
Aircraft Series Identifier --
Aircraft Serial Number 10485
Certified Max Gross Weight 1220
Aircraft Category Airplane
Aircraft Registration Class --
Aircraft is a homebuilt? No
Flight Crew Seats --
Cabin Crew Seats --
Passenger Seats --
Total number of seats on the aircraft 2
Number of Engines 1
Fixed gear or retractable gear Fixed
Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection Annual
Date of Last Inspection Sep 10 2013 12:00AM
Airframe hours since last inspection 22
Airframe Hours 4304.9
ELT Installed No
ELT Activated Unknown
ELT Aided Location of Event Site Unknown
ELT Type --
Aircraft Owner Name CREED MICHAEL L
Aircraft Owner Street Address --
Aircraft Owner City HOPKINSVILLE
Aircraft Owner State KY
Aircraft Owner Country USA
Aircraft Owner Zipcode 42240-1411
Operator is an individual? No
Operator Name CREED MICHAEL L
Operator Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Is Doing Business As --
Operator Address Same as Owner? Yes
Operator Street Address --
Operator City HOPKINSVILLE
Operator State KY
Operator Country USA
Operator Zip code 42240-1411
Operator Code --
Owner has at least one certificate None
Other Operator of large aircraft? --
Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation --
Operator Certificate Number --
Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not --
Indicates Domestic or International Flight --
Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail --
Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) Personal
Second Pilot on Board No
Departure Point Same as Event Yes
Departure Airport Code HVC
Departure City Hopkinsville
Departure State KY
Departure Country USA
Departure Time 1329
Departure Time Zone CDT
Destination Same as Local Flt dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere
Destination Airport Code HVC
Destination City Hopkinsville
Destination State KY
Destination Country USA
Specific Phase of Flight --
Report sent to ICAO? --
Evacuation occurred --
Date of most recent change to record Dec 30 2014 4:19PM
User who most recently changed record kenj
Since inspection or accident Last Inspection
Event Location Runway Number and Location 26
Runway Length 5505
Runway Width 100
Sight Seeing flight No
Air Medical Flight No
Medical Flight --