- Date
- July 23, 2006, 20:15 local (Jul 24, 2006, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- New Market, MN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7012HPiper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration, Teledyne Continental Motors
- FAA report
- 20060724015909A
- Case key
- 64233
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to the fatigue fracture of the crankshaft and camshaft gear teeth during cruise flight and the unsuitable landing area encountered by the pilot during the forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The floatplane impacted terrain during a forced landing following a loss of engine power during cruise. Examination of the engine revealed that several of the crankshaft and camshaft gear teeth were broken off. The surface separations of the teeth exhibited features consistent with fatigue.
Factual narrative
On July 23, 2006, at 2015 central daylight time, a Piper J3C-65 floatplane, N7012H, impacted terrain during a forced landing near New Market, Minnesota. The pilot reported that the airplane experienced a loss of engine power during cruise flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The local flight originated at 1945 from Prior Lake, Minnesota.
Examination of the airplane by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed the fuel aboard was near full. No on-scene anomalies were noted with the airplane.
The airplane was powered by a Continental C-90-8, serial number 67129-8-8, engine that received its last major overhaul on May 26, 2004. The last inspection of the engine was an annual inspection dated May 2, 2006, at a time since major overhaul of 179 hours.
The engine was shipped to Teledyne Continental Motors, in Mobile, Alabama, where the engine was disassembled and examined under the supervision of the Federal Aviation Administration. The examination revealed that several of the crankshaft and camshaft gear teeth were broken off. The surface separations of the teeth exhibited features consistent with fatigue.
The FAA and Teledyne Continental Motors were parties to the investigation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7012H
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20257
- Engine
- Continental C-90-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pilot
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2006
- Departed
- Prior Lake, MN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2005
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 500 in this make and model · 8,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.76 inHg
- Observed at
- LVN, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.