- Date
- June 1, 1988, 17:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- N Fort Myers, FL
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N98178Piper J3C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880601017559A
- Case key
- 32019
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
The plt tkof on rwy 27 with the wind fm 060 deg at 12 gusting 23 KTS. Density alt was 2100'. Witnesses said the acft was in a slow speed, nose hi climb, when eng pwr was interrupted momentarily. Pwr was restored, but soon thereafter, the acft rolled rgt, entered a dscnt fm abt 200' AGL & crashed in a steep nose-down attitude. No preimpact mechanical failure was fnd. The acft had been svcd with auto fuel, but no STC had been approved for such fuel. No weight & balance (w/b) info was available in the logs. Using w/b info from when the acft was manufactured, corrected for installation of fuel tanks, the acft was estd to have been 68 lbs over its max gross wt limit. The temp & dew point were 89 & 68 degs, respectively. According to icing probability charts, serious carb icing could have occurred at glide power. The carb heat was fnd in the cold or off position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98178
- Reported as
- Piper J3C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18340
- Engine
- Continental C-85, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Walker, David L
- Registered owner
- Walker, David L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 15, 1987 · 12 hours before
- Airport
- 94FL · Pine Shadows Airpark, runway 27, 3,200 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Rear
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 12 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 192 °F, dew point 154 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FMY, 10 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.