# Accident 19980704015819A: Piper J3C65, Zellwood, FL, July 4, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 4, 1998, 11:35 local time
- Place: Zellwood, FL
- Airport: Bob White Field Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 28.7306° N, 81.5990° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.7306&lon=-81.5990&mi=10
- Aircraft: N42760, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N42760) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper J3C-65 (registry code 7100510, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j3c-65) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental A&C65 series (registry code 17003, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-a-c65-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER J3C65
- Reported engine: CONT C8512
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 831 total, 159 in this make and model, 14 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL98LA091](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL98LA091) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980704015819A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOST POWER IN PATTERN. LANED IN FIELD. NOSED OVER. CAUSE POWER LOSS UNKNOWN. (.19) ON JULY 4, 1998, ABOUT 1035 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER J3C-65, N42760, NOSED OVER DURING A FORCED LANDING NEAR ZELLWOOD, FLORIDA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY THE REGISTERED OWNER UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91, AND VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE LOCAL, PERSONAL FLIGHT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PRIVATE PILOT, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. ORIGINATION OF THE FLIGHT WAS THE BOB WHITE FIELD AIRPORT, ZELLWOOD, FLORIDA, ABOUT 0900 ON THE SAME DAY. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS CONDUCTING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS AT THE BOB WHITE FIELD. JUST PRIOR TO TURNING CROSS WIND ON THE FOURTH DEPARTURE, THE ENGINE QUIT. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE TO A FIELD THAT RESULTED IN THE AIRPLANE NOSING OVER. (.4) ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE WAS CONDUCTING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS AT THE BOB WHITE FIELD. JUST PRIOR TO TURNING CROSSWIND ON THE FOURTH DEPARTURE, THE ENGINE LOST POWER. THE PILOT APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT AND FULL THROTTLE, BUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO LOSE POWER UNTIL IT QUIT. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FARM     FIELD. THE WHEELS SANK INTO THE SOFT GROUND, AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE ENGINE AND FUEL WERE TESTED. THE ENGINE STARTED, RAN AT A LOW REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE (RPM), AND WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE MAXIMUM RPM. THE MAGNETOS WERE CHECKED WHILE THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING, WITH NO DISCREPANCIES NOTED. ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSPECTOR, THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE OPERATION OF THE ENGINE DURING THE TEST RUN. THERE WAS FUEL IN THE AIRPLANE, APPROXIMATELY 3/4 OF A TANK. IT WAS DRAINED AND EXAMINED, WITH NO WATER OR SEDIMENT FOUND. (-23) IN TRAFFIC PATTERN AT BOB WHITE AIRPORT (X61) ZELLWOOD FL AT ABOUT 800 FEET, ENGINE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER. CARB HEAT APPLIED BUT MADE NO DIFFERENCE. ENGINE GRADUALLY SLOWED THEN STOPPED PRODUCING POWER. PILOT MADE FORCED LANDING IN FIELD AND FLIPPED OVER. THERE IS STILL FUEL IN ACFT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ATL98LA091](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL98LA091), Jul 4, 1998: Piper J3C-65 (N42760), Zellwood, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons which led to a forced landing and nose over. A factor affecting the severity of the damage was the soft terrain.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.