# Accident 19971026031019A: Piper PA12, Anchorage, AK, October 26, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 26, 1997, 14:30 local time
- Place: Anchorage, AK
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 61.2205° N, 149.8493° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.2205&lon=-149.8493&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4380M, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4380M) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-12 (registry code 7101202, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA12
- Reported engine: LYC O360A1A
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 6,000 total, 150 in this make and model, 100 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC98LA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC98LA007) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971026031019A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LANDED ICE AND SNOW TERRAIN. TUNDRA TIRES BROKE THRU THIN ICE IN DITCH. (.4) ON OCTOBER 26, 1997, ABOUT 1430 ALASKA STANDARD TIME, A TUNDRA TIRE EQUIPPED PIPER PA-12 AIRPLANE, N4380M, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHILE LANDING AT AN OFF AIRPORT SITE ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. THE PRIVATE CERTIFICATED PILOT AND THE TWO PASSENGERS ABOARD WERE NOT INJURED. THE LOCAL, 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT OPERATED IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITHOUT A FLIGHT PLAN. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED THE PRIVATE, SKY HARBOR AIRSTRIP, LOCATED IN SOUTH ANCHORAGE, ABOUT 1330. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO HUNT RABBITS, WITH AN EVENTUAL RETURN TO THE SKY HARBOR AIRSTRIP. DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE ON OCTOBER 27, 1997, THE PILOT RELATED HE WAS LANDING THE AIRPLANE ON ICE AND SNOW COVERED TERRAIN. HE SAID THE AIRPLANE IS EQUIPPED WITH OVER-SIZED, 32 INCH TUNDRA TIRES. AFTER TOUCHDOWN IN A TIDAL ZONE, THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEELS BROKE THROUGH AN AREA OF THIN ICE, AND INTO A DEPRESSION, CAUSING THE AIRPLANE TO DECELERATE RAPIDLY, AND THEN SLOWLY NOSE OVER. THE PILOT REPORTED DAMAGE TO THE LIFT STRUTS ON THE RIGHT WING, AND WRINKLES IN THE TAIL SECTION      NEAR THE VERTICAL STABILIZER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ANC98LA007](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC98LA007), Oct 26, 1997: Piper PA-12 (N4380M), Anchorage, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area.

## Other reports on N4380M (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19940601013359A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940601013359A), Jun 1, 1994: Piper STCPA12 (N4380M), Fairbanks, AK, Substantial damage. Struck a ditch landing on a sandbar. Broke off the landing gear.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.