# Accident 20020417007049A: Piper PA12, Clifford, PA, April 17, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 17, 2002, 08:55 local time
- Place: Clifford, PA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.6167° N, 75.5833° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.6167&lon=-75.5833&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4480M, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4480M) (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
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC02LA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC02LA084) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020417007049A

## Narrative

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

(.19) ON APRIL 17, 2002, AT 0855 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-12, N4480M, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT STRUCK A TREE WHILE APPROACHING ASHLAND AIRPORT (3PN1), CLIFFORD, PENNSYLVANIA. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE FLIGHT, BETWEEN SEAMANS FIELD (9N3), FACTORYVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, AND CLIFFORD. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. ACCORDING TO A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) INSPECTOR, THE APPROACH PATH TO THE SOUTHEAST RUNWAY HAD BEEN CUT INTO A STAND OF TREES. THE TREES HAD NOT YET DEVELOPED SPRING FOLIAGE, AND THE APPROACH PATH WAS ALIGNED WITH THE RISING SUN. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A TREE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE APPROACH PATH, AND CAME TO REST ON THE GROUND WITH THE NOSE POINTING ABOUT 310 DEGREES MAGNETIC. ON-SCENE EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE PROPELLER BLADES WAS BENT BACK, AND THE NOSE CONE HAD SPIRAL SCORING. ENGINE OIL AND SPARK PLUGS APPEARED TO BE NEW. THE TANKS WERE FULL OF FUEL, AND FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE CARBURETOR. WEATHER, RECORDED AT AN AIRPORT ABOUT 20 NAUTICAL MILES TO SOUTH, AT 0854, INCLUDED CALM WINDS, CLEAR SKIES, AND A VISIBILITY OF 8 STATUTE MILES. (-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON SHORT FINAL TO RUNWAY 150 AT APPROXIMATELY 9 AM EDT. AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING IMPACTED TOP OF LEAFLESS TREES, SPUN LEFT, DESCENDED ONTO LAKE BED AND SKID APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET, COMING TO REST IN A NORTH EASTERLY DIRECTION, ABOUT A 030 DEGREE HEADING, IN THREE TO FOUR FEET OF WATER.

## 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 NYC02LA084](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC02LA084), Apr 17, 2002: Piper PA-12 (N4480M), Clifford, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain a proper visual lookout for trees. A factor was sunglare.

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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