- Date
- May 9, 1998, 10:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Mesa, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7447HPiper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980509008609A
- Case key
- 30106
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
Failure of a weld in the engine's throttle control support assembly due to inadequate maintenance which was the ultimate responsibility of the owner-pilot. Contributing factors were the presence of rough terrain, the lack of a suitable forced landing site, and the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning.
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 airplane, which the pilot owned and operated, experienced a total loss of engine power while descending for a practice forced landing. The pilot indicated that no adequate landing site was available within gliding distance, so he landed in the rough terrain of a dry wash shearing off both main landing gear. The airplane was recovered and examined. A clamp that had been welded onto a bracket which was secured to the engine case was found broken. The clamp/bracket assembly supported the throttle cable. When the weld broke subsequent movement of the cockpit throttle control had no effect upon the engine's rpm. The pilot described the weld as having been 'bad,' and it was not a Piper manufactured component.
Factual narrative
On May 9, 1998, at 1045 hours mountain standard time, a Piper J3C-65, N7447H, owned and operated by the pilot, experienced a total loss of engine power while descending. The private pilot made a forced landing on rough terrain, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Neither the private pilot nor the passenger was injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the personal flight which originated from Mesa, Arizona, about 1030.
According to the pilot, the mishap occurred while he was practicing a simulated forced landing over desert terrain. When he pushed the throttle forward to restore engine power, the engine did not respond. No adequate landing sites existed within gliding distance, so he landed in a dry wash. During rollout, both main landing gear were sheared off.
The pilot initially reported that damage to his airplane was minor. The Federal Aviation Administration coordinator subsequently examined the airplane and observed that the airplane's fuselage was buckled aft of the wings.
Additional examination of the airplane revealed that a clamp, which had been welded onto an engine case mounted bracket, was broken at its attachment weld. The clamp was identified as Continental Engine Part number 70801-00. The clamp/bracket assembly supported the throttle cable. The pilot indicated that evidently, when the weld broke, alignment of the throttle cable with the carburetor was lost. Subsequent movement of the cockpit throttle control produced no corresponding effect upon the engine's rpm, which was thereby reduced to idle. The pilot further indicated that the malfunction had resulted from the "bad weld" which was not a Piper component.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7447H
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20712
- Airframe hours
- 5,800
- Engine
- Continental C85-12, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James D. Bullard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 15, 1997 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- FFZ · Falcon Field, AZ
- Destination
- E14 · Tucson, AZ
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,200 total · 417 in this make and model · 1,050 as pilot in command · 22 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.