ERA26LA168 · Piper J3C-65

On April 10, 2026, about 1700 eastern daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N92480 was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Baker, Florida. The pilot sustained minor injuries, and the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that before the first flight, he performed a preflight inspection and added .5 quart of oil to bring the quantity to about 3.5 quarts. He then taxied to the fuel pump and topped off the fuel with about 9 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel. According to the Piper J3C-65 owner’s manual, the fuel tank capacity is 12 US gallons. The pilot departed Skypark Estates Owners Assoc Airport (18FD) in Baker, Florida, about 1600 and flew for about 35 minutes to perform local pattern work. He subsequently landed and parked the airplane, remaining on the ground for about 30 minutes, before performing a preflight inspection with no anomalies noted. About 1700 the pilot departed with a passenger seated in the front seat. After takeoff, the airplane climbed to about 1,500 ft above ground level (agl) and proceeded to Long Branch Farms Airport (2FA3) in Baker, Florida, a flight of about 10 minutes. Upon arrival at 2FA3, the pilot descended to 1,000 ft agl with a slight reduction in power and crossed mid-field to enter the airport traffic pattern on a left downwind leg for runway 27. Carburetor heat was turned on, and engine power was reduced to about 1,500 rpm during the descent on the base and final legs of the pattern. On short final, carburetor heat was turned off, and the engine was advanced to cruise power as the airplane leveled off at about 50 ft agl to conduct a low approach to inspect runway conditions. Following the low approach, the pilot applied full power for a normal climb at about 60 mph. About 200 ft agl the engine lost all power. The pilot confirmed the throttle lever was full forward, lowered the nose, and turned toward a field, attempting to fly through a small gap in the trees near its edge. The pilot observed power lines crossing the field and tightened the turn to avoid them. The right wing contacted a tree, which resulted in a significant yaw to the right and a decrease in airspeed. The airplane then yawed back to a forward direction and impacted the ground at a steep downward angle. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The wreckage was retained for further examination.

Verbatim NTSB factual narrative from the NTSB dataset