# Incident 20190831011549I: Piper J3C-65, Warwick, NY, August 31, 2019 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 31, 2019, 10:00 local time - Place: Warwick, NY - Airport: Warwick Municipal - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 41.2876° N, 74.2871° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at WARWICK MUNI (N72), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.2876&lon=-74.2871&mi=10 - Aircraft: N3482N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3482N-2020-02-11) (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 J3C-65 - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR C85-8F - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor - Pilot flight hours: 1,726 total - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190831011549I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN WICKHAM LAKE SHORT OF RUNWAY 03 AT WARWICK MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KN72). A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOT WERE CONDUCTING PRACTICE PATTERN AND LANDING TRAINING, THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED THE FOLLOWING: DURING THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR LANDING,THE STUDENT PILOT TURNED THE CARBURETOR HEAT ON AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER TO START THE DECENT AND BASE LEG FOR LANDING, AT THIS POINT THE ENGINE RPM STARTED TO FLUCTUATE. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ASKED THE STUDENT IF HE WAS ADJUSTING THE THROTTLE, THE STUDENT DID NOT REPLY AND THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ADVANCED THE ENGINE THROTTLE TURNED THE CARBURETOR HEAT OFF AND HEADED FOR THE RUNWAY, AT THAT POINT THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR LOWERED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO SEE IF THE PROPELLER WOULD WINDMILL AND HE COULD POSSIBLY RESTART THE ENGINE,THIS DID NOT WORK. AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS HEADED FOR THE AIRPORT,THE INSTRUCTOR FELT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SAFELY LAND ON THE RUNWAY,AT THIS POINT A DECISION WAS MADE TO LAND IN THE LAKE. (NOTE: THIS AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE AN ELECTRIC STARTER MOTOR INSTALLED ON THE ENGINE). AFTER LANDING IN THE LAKE BOTH PILOTS SAFELY EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND SWAM TO SHORE. A RECOVERY CREW REMOVED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE LAKE AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS MOVED TO THE OWNERS HANGAR LOCATED ON AIRPORT PROPERTY. A VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO BOTH WINGS, THE ELEVATOR AND THE EMPENNAGE. THE EMPENNAGE WAS TWISTED AND SEVERELY BENT TO THE RIGHT. A REVIEW OF SEVERAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN OF THE AIRCRAFT AS IT WAS STILL IN THE LAKE PRIOR TO RECOVERY REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARTIALLY SUBMERGED UNDER WATER WITH THE TAIL SECTION STICKING STRAIGHT UP. NO VISUAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO THE TAIL SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER REVIEW OF THE PHOTOS. THE OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR BOTH STATED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE AIRCRAFT DAMAGE OCCURRED DURING THE RECOVERY FROM THE LAKE AND WHILE MOVING THE AIRCRAFT TO THE HANGAR. A VISUAL EXTERNAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE SHOWED NO OBVIOUS ABNORMALITIES. A POSITIVE DETERMINATION COULD NOT BE MADE AT THIS TIME AS TO WHY THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. ## Other reports on N3482N (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20070525015389I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20070525015389I), May 25, 2007: Piper J3C65 (N3482N), Northampton, MA, Minor damage. (-23) During an initial attempt to start his airplane, the pilot [privacy data omitted] flooded the engine. He then applied full throttle and shut off the… 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.