- Date
- February 1, 2026, 14:34 local (19:34 UTC)
- Place
- Brimfield, OH
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5930VPiper J3C
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260201000489A
- Case key
- 202386
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
The pilot’s failure to use carburetor heat during descent in cold temperatures, which resulted in a total loss of engine power at an altitude too low for recovery.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the of the vintage, 65-hp, tailwheel airplane reported that he had been flying for about 20 minutes. He had applied carburetor heat during some of the flight, but not all of the flight. The pilot was performing low altitude passes over a friend’s farm, in cold temperatures (20° F). He had the engine power near idle as he descended towards the farm for a fourth time and did not have the carburetor heat on. About treetop level, as the pilot increased throttle input, he realized that the engine had lost all power. The pilot performed a forced landing into trees, and the airplane came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation and that the accident could have been prevented if he applied carburetor heat for the entire flight. Review of the owner’s manual revealed instructions to always have the carburetor heat control full on during long glides such as an approach for landing, as it would tend to keep the engine warm and reduce the possibility of the engine failing to accelerate when the throttle was open suddenly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5930V
- Reported as
- Piper J3C (65)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13081
- Built
- 1944
- Airframe hours
- 2,036
- Engine
- Continental A65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 5, 2025 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- 3G3 · Wadworth, OH
- Equipment
- None
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
- 47
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 9,534 total · 108 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command · 190 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Observed at
- AKR, 5 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KAKR 011954Z AUTO 33006KT 10SM CLR M07/M14 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP233 T10671144=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.