# Accident 20120831019129A: Piper PA-12, Rye, CO, August 31, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 31, 2012, 09:15 local time
- Place: Rye, CO
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.9647° N, 105.0922° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.9647&lon=-105.0922&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3031M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3031M-2013-05-16) (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 PA-12
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-290
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 920 total, 250 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN12FA594](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12FA594) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120831019129A

## Narrative

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

ON 08/31/2012 AT APPROXIMATELY 0915 HRS MDT, N3031M PA-12 SUPER CRUISER AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AFTER IMPACTING TERRAIN NEAR GREENHORN MOUNTAIN, SAN ISABEL NATIONAL FOREST, CO. TWO OCCUPANTS ON BOARD SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. WEATHER AT THE TIME WAS VMC.

## 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 CEN12FA594](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12FA594), Aug 31, 2012: Piper PA-12 (N3031M), Rye, CO, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s selection of a flightpath toward rising terrain that exceeded the climb capability of the airplane.

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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