- Date
- August 23, 1988, 16:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Shelton, WA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8370HPiper J3C-65
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880823035149A
- Case key
- 40872
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 pilot reported a complete loss of power in cruise flight while ferrying an aircraft to its home base after an annual inspection. The pilot landed in a small field of rye crop. The pilot stated that the size of the field precluded a normal approach. The aircraft made a hard landing into the small field. The post accident investigation revealed that the fuel fitting to the carburetor broke in flight. Fuel stains were found along the lower portion of the fuselage. No fuel was found in the carburetor. Examination of the engine revealed that the fitting had been deformed at some previous time. The aircraft records showed that the fitting had been adjusted during the annual inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8370H
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8874
- Airframe hours
- 2,174
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Brandon R. D. Harnisch
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 13, 1988 · 3 hours before
- Destination
- WA22 · Elma, WA
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
- 55
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 7,195 total · 50 in this make and model · 6,490 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.