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| Date: | Thursday 5 September 2013 |
| Time: | 13:00 |
| Type: |  Piper J3L-65 Cub |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N38262 |
| MSN: | 6887 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1941 |
| Engine model: | Continental C-85 Series |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Lake Clark, Lake -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Port Alsworth, AK |
| Port Alsworth, AK | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that, while the airplane was in level cruise flight, he heard a loud “pop,” followed by a total loss of engine power. He subsequently made a forced landing to an open, tundra-covered site. During the forced landing, the airplane nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed a fractured exhaust valve stem on the No. 4 cylinder, which subsequently pulverized the electrodes on both sparks plugs and severely damaged the piston.
Probable Cause: The fracture and subsequent failure of the No. 4 cylinder exhaust valve during cruise flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Sep-2013 07:36 | gerard57 | Added |
| 09-Sep-2013 23:21 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 13-Sep-2013 18:37 | Geno | Updated [Source, ] |
| 13-Sep-2013 23:08 | Geno | Updated [Source, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 29-Nov-2017 09:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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