J3 Cub
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 15; Flight Crew Total 1178; Flight Crew Type 10
Human-Machine Interface; Situational Awareness
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; Flight Crew Landed in Emergency Condition
Aircraft; Human Factors
Traffic ahead of us was a Cessna 150 conducting primary training. The 150 was flying a long wide down wind leg; airline style. Keeping close to the airport I flew the down wind leg behind the 150 but half the distance inside the 150. Abeam the numbers of Runway 22 a landing checklist was completed. Carb heat was not selected due to the fact we needed to extend with power to follow the 150. After the Cessna landed and was not a factor; we made our base turn at about 2 miles. Continuing inbound power was reduced to idle. On about a mile final I attempted to add power to continue the approach but none was available. At about 250 AGL; after attempts to obtain power; I decided to land in a large gravel parking lot prior to the runway; thus avoiding property and buildings. The landing was only 100 FT short of the runway; but the airport security fence prevented me from selecting the runway as an option. The aircraft received only minor damage to the propeller and right wing tip due to lightly clipping power lines during the approach. No injuries occurred. Possible cause was carb ice due to the power being at idle on final and the temp due point spread being close together. Corrective action could be to implement a landing checklist at each segment of the pattern instead of just my downwind landing check. Contributing factor may have been the distraction of the other aircraft in the pattern; however this is not an excuse.
Required to extend his downwind pattern leg due to preceding traffic; the pilot of a J3 Cub failed to employ carburetor heat at his usual point abeam the numbers. The engine subsequently failed to respond to the throttle on short final and the pilot diverted to a gravel area short of the runway. Some damage was incurred due to contact with power lines.