Piper J3C-65 accident near Porter, Texas, July 13, 2009
On July 13, 2009, a Piper J3C-65, registered N70455, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Porter, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power due to carburetor icing resulting in the pilot's inability to clear the wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 2009
- Place
- Porter, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C-65 · all J3C-65s on the register
- Registration
- N70455 · registry record · serial 17453
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot noticed a significant loss of engine power while maneuvering on a local area flight. The pilot began looking for a suitable place to land and noticed a sandbar along a river. As he approached the river he applied carburetor heat and the engine power began to recover. At this time the airplane was at tree top level along the river when the pilot noticed wires crossing the river. The pilot was unable to reestablish a climb and avoid the wires. The airplane struck the wires and impacted inverted on the sandbar. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive to carburetor icing at cruise and glide power settings with a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius and dew point of 23 degrees Celsius. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector on scene, there were no pre-impact anomalies noted.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (partial) during maneuvering
- Other weather encounter during maneuvering
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,873 hours in all; 984 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 8,969 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 29, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,406 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 2009
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor A&C65 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9X1 Porter TX
- Destination: Porter TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KIAH, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09CA431.