- Date
- August 23, 1986, 11:05 local (15:05 UTC)
- Place
- Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N23266Piper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860823086559A
- Case key
- 31511
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Flight experienced loss of engine power while climbing through 200 feet shortly after takeoff. While attempting to return to the runway the aircraft collided with trees and the ground coming to rest adjacent to the runway. Examination of aircraft records revealed the wrong model carburetor for the engine was installed and that the engine had been operating with a rich mixture due to a carburetor problem. Work had been performed on the carburetor to correct the rich mixture. Examination of the carburetor after the accident revealed the mixture control arm was wired at the 40 to 50 percent of travel from lean to rich and that the fuel shutoff needle valve was worn excessively causing the needle valve to not seat on occasion. No other evidence of engine malfunction was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23266
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3113
- Airframe hours
- 4,066
- Engine
- Continental C85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Experimental Aircraft Assc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 28, 1985 · 60 hours before
- Airport
- X52 · New Hibiscus, runway 18, 3,300 × 160 ft, grass/turf
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 583 total · 537 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 5 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 N23266 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.