# Accident 19990307014119A: Piper PA12, Big Lake, AK, March 7, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 7, 1999, 15:40 local time
- Place: Big Lake, AK
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 61.4596° N, 150.0901° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.4596&lon=-150.0901&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4040M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4040M-2020-01-31) (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 O320A1A
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 12,000 total, 40 in this make and model, 130 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC99LA031](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA031) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990307014119A

## Narrative

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

(.19) ON MARCH 7, 1999, ABOUT 1540 ALASKA STANDARD TIME, A WHEEL EQUIPPED, PIPER PA-12, N4040M, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHILE LANDING ON THE FROZEN SURFACE OF FLATHORN LAKE, APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BIG LAKE, ALASKA. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND THE TWO PASSENGERS ON BOARD WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED AS A LOCAL, PERSONAL FLIGHT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED ANDERSON LAKE, PALMER, ALASKA, ABOUT 1500. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT TOLD THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC) DURING A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW ON MARCH 8, THAT HE SAW OTHER AIRPLANES LANDING ON FLATHORN LAKE, AND DECIDED TO LAND AS WELL. DURING LANDING THE AIRPLANE'S TIRES SANK INTO SOFT SNOW WHICH COVERED THE LAKE SURFACE, AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER. (.4) THE PILOT OF THE WHEEL EQUIPPED AIRPLANE SAID HE SAW OTHER AIRPLANES LANDING ON THE SURFACE OF THE FROZEN LAKE. HE DECIDED TO LAND IN THE SAME AREA. THE PILOT SAID THAT DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE SNOW WAS INITIALLY HARD PACKED AS IT HAD APPEARED FROM THE AIR. THE WHEELS THEN CONTACTED SOFT SNOW, AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER.

## 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 ANC99LA031](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA031), Mar 7, 1999: Piper PA-12 (N4040M), Big Lake, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing the wheel equipped airplane. A factor associated with the accident was the soft snow covering the frozen lake.

## Other reports on N4040M (2)

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

- [Accident 20171122019699A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20171122019699A), Nov 22, 2017: Piper PA-12 (N4040M), Dickinson, ND, Destroyed. Airmen executed a short field takeoff from an off airport location. The location was an industrial equipment yard. The takeoff area was a packed gravel surface…
- [Accident 19770916031339A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19770916031339A), Sep 16, 1977: Piper PA12 (N4040M), Anchorage, AK, Substantial damage. Landing on sandbar in susitna river.

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.

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