- Date
- August 3, 1997, 10:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Castle Rock, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5985VPiper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 2, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970803020499A
- Case key
- 20305
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 partial loss of engine power due to a cylinder exhaust valve jammed in the open position from excessive carbon deposits. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain on which to make a 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
While in cruise flight, engine RPMs dropped from 2,350 to 1,700, and the airplane began to descend. The pilot made a forced landing in an open, uneven field. The landing gear was sheared off and the fuselage was buckled. Postaccident examination of the engine disclosed the no. 4 cylinder exhaust valve was jammed in the open position. The valve stem and guide were coated with 'gummy black deposits.' The pilot had a similar accident on July 22, 1995 (FTW 95-L-A312). In that accident, the jammed exhaust valve was attributed to excessive carbon deposits from high octane aviation gasoline usage in a low compression engine.
Factual narrative
On August 3, 1997, approximately 1030 mountain daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N5985V, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during a forced landing 4 miles south of Castle Rock, Colorado. The private pilot, the only occupant aboard, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight that was conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Englewood, Colorado, approximately 1000.
According to the pilot, he was in cruise flight at 7,500 feet msl (above mean sea level) when the engine rpm (revolutions per minute) dropped from 2,350 to 1,700. He said that at that altitude, a minimum of 2,150 rpm is required to maintain flight. He configured the airplane for best glide and landed in an open but uneven field. The main landing gear was sheared off and the fuselage buckled.
Postaccident examination disclosed the no. 4 cylinder exhaust valve was stuck open. According to the Teledyne Continental Motors representative who examined the engine, it took "a large hammer to drive the valve out." The valve stem and guide were coated with "gummy black deposits." The pilot, who is an aeronautical engineer and holds an A&P (airframe and powerplant) mechanic's license, said the same situation occurred on July 22, 1995 (see FTW 95-L-A312). Engine examination following that accident revealed the no. 4 cylinder exhaust valve was similarly stuck open, and was attributed to excessive carbon deposits from high octane aviation gasoline usage in a low compression engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5985V
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13-640
- Airframe hours
- 4,954
- Engine
- Continental C-85-F12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald L. Brehm
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 1996 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- APA · Englewood, CO
- Flight plan
- Unknown
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 940 total · 554 in this make and model · 890 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APA, 16 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.
Other investigations on N5985V · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.